Sixth ROUND OF PARLEY TODAY
NEW DELHI: The talks failed between Union Home Minister Amit Shah and a delegation of 13 farmer leaders at the Pusa agricultural institute premises here on Tuesday night. Home Minister Shah held the talks a day before the government's sixth round of negotiations to end the massive protests against farm laws.
Meanwhile, Opposition parties, including the Congress, NCP, Aam Aadmi Party, DMK and TRS have backed Tuesday's protest. They will meet President Ram Nath Kovind to convey their stand and concerns on Wednesday.
Earlier, the meeting venue was supposed to be held in Shah's residence. However, the venue was later moved to the Pusa campus a few km from Amit Shah's official home, reportedly to restrict the media glare.
The Home Minister's invite, indicating that the government is engaging with the farmers at the highest level, came as a nationwide shutdown or Bharat Bandh called by protesting farmers hit road and rail traffic in parts of the country, blocked many highways and shut down markets, affecting supplies.
The farmer leaders left for the meeting from the Singhu border — one of the protest sites of the farmers on the outskirts of the national capital — for the meeting that started at 7 pm at the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) office in Delhi's Pusa. Farmer leader Rudru Singh Mansa has said they will seek just a "yes or no" answer to their demands when they meet Shah. Mansa said the central government has bowed down before the 'Bharat
Noting that this movement is under the banner of SanyuktKisanMorcha, Haryana BhartiyaKisan Union (BKU) president Gurnam Singh Chathuni said in a press briefing at Singh border that the Home Minister contacted the farmers' unions earlier in the day and invited them for the meeting.
Referring to Tuesday's Bharat Bandh, Chathuni said that the government should understand that the whole nation joined the call given by the farmers.
BKU leader Bhog Singh Maansa said that all the producers and consumers are with them, saying "the delegation meeting with the Home Minister this evening will decide the future plan".
The national spokesperson of the BharatiyaKisan Union (BKU), RakeshTikait, earlier made the announcement about the farmers' unions' meeting with Shah. The BKU leader made the announcement amid the ongoing Bharat Bandh call being given by the protesting farmers. It is learnt that Tikait, who represents a group of farmers from western Uttar Pradesh, received the invite from the government.
Tikait is sitting on protest at the Ghazipur border on Delhi-UP route in support of thousands of farmers staging demonstration against the Central government since November 26, demanding to repeal the three farm laws enacted in September during the Monsoon Session of the Parliament.
Tikait, Gurnam Singh, Hanan Mullah, Balveer Singh Rajewal, Manjeet Singh, Shiv Kumar Kakka, Darhsan Pal, Bog Singh Mansa, Jagjeet Singh Dalewal, Rurdu Singh Maan, Baljeet Rai, Boota Singh and Harvinder Singh Lakhowal are among the farmer leaders from Punjab, West Bengal, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh who met Shah.
The sixth round of government-farmers talks scheduled on Wednesday will be held at the Vigyan Bhawan in Central Delhi. Earlier, five rounds of talks remained inconclusive with the two sides sticking to their points. One of the farmers' demands was to meet Shah to resolve their issues. (Agencies)