Round 7: Farmers harden stand ahead of talks with Centre

New Delhi, January 4, 2021

Ahead of the seventh round of talks with the Centre on Monday, the farmers have hardened their stand on the demand for repealing the three farm laws.

The agitating farmers have already announced plans to take out a tractor parade towards Delhi on January 26, Republic Day, besides a series of programmes in a bid to intensify their protest.

Ahead of joining the talks, Harinder Singh Lokhowal, a prominent farmer leader from Punjab and Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) general secretary told IANS, "I will ask the government to take back the new laws and save farmers who they call 'Annadata', as over 50 farmers have lost their lives during the protest."

He said, "How many sacrifices the government wants to take?"

He also criticised the action taken by state governments of Haryana and Punjab to stop the farmers from approaching Delhi, with the Haryana Police firing tear gas at them in Rewari district.

He said the farmer leaders from Singhu on the Delhi-Haryana border would leave for Vigyan Bhawan, the venue of the talks, by 12 noon for the 2 pm meeting.

The sixth round of talks was held on December 30, when the two sides reached a consensus on two of the four key issues.

Thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh have been protesting at the borders of the national capital demanding the repeal of the three farm laws, among other demands.

IANS