Farmer leader vows to keep protesting till farm laws are repealed

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New Delhi, Jan 04: Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) spokesperson Rakesh Tikait said on Monday that until the three contentious farm laws were withdrawn, the protesters won't go home.

"Discussion took place on our demands -- repeal of the three laws and MSP... Kanoon wapasi nahi, to ghar wapasi nahi (We will not go home until the laws are withdrawn)," he said as quoted by news agency ANI.

Tikait's statement comes after the Centre ruled out any possibility of repealing the laws at the talks, adding that it can look into any clause the farmers had issues with

However, no breakthrough has been reached so far on the two main demands of the protesting farmers -- a repeal of the three recent farm laws and a legal guarantee to the MSP procurement system.

On Sunday, Tomar met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and discussed the government strategy to resolve the current crisis at the earliest, sources said.

Tomar discussed with Singh "all possible options" to find a "middle path" to resolve the crisis, they added.

Earlier today, Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait said that at least 60 farmers have lost their lives during the protests against the three new agriculture laws. "One farmer is dying every 16 hours. It is the responsibility of the government to answer," he added.

Farmers from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and some other states are camping at several entry points of the national capital blocking the highways, demanding that the Centre repeal the farm laws and give legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for crops.

Protesting farmers who have been camping at Delhi borders for the last 39 days braving bone-chilling cold and now rains have threatened to intensify their protest if their two major demands -- repeal of the three new farm laws and legal backing for the minimum support price (MSP) -- are not accepted by the government in the January 4 meeting.

Enacted in September 2020, the government has presented these laws as major farm reforms and aimed at increasing farmers'' income, but protesting farmers have raised concerns that these legislations would weaken the MSP and mandi systems and leave them at the mercy of big corporates.