16:58 (IST)
Dushyant Chautala meets Narendra Modi
As per reports, Haryana deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, a day after he met Home minister Maita Shah with Manohar Lal Khattar. After an hour-long meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, both Khattar and Chautala said they have discussed about the prevailing law and order situation in the state. “There is no threat to the Haryana government and it will last its full five year term,” Chautala hald told news agency PTI on Tuesday.
16:35 (IST)
Congress leader Siddaramaiah targets PM over farmers protest
Former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah, in a series of tweets, said the Supreme Court’s order to stay the new farm laws only reiterates the fact that the new laws are against the interests of farmers and accused prime minister Narendra Modi of deciding to turn a blind eye towards the plight of the farmers. “Supreme Court has understood that farmers are right in their demands and hence have allowed farmers to continue their protests,” he said. He further stated that farmers are of the opinion that the expert committee constituted by the apex court has members who have all previously expressed their support for new farm laws enacted and added farmers demand that members of the panel should be be neutral and have concern for farmers. Targetting the prime minister, The Congress leader that Modi has not made a single genuine attempt to address the concerns of farmers and demanded that he apologize to the farmers and to the people of the country. “The new farm laws should be withdrawn!” he said.
Farmers are of the opinion that the expert committee constituted by Supreme Court has members who have all previously expressed their support for new farm laws enacted.
Farmers demand that the members of committee shall have to be neutral & have concern for farmers.
2/4#Mysore
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) January 13, 2021
16:14 (IST)
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Kamal Haasan thanks SC for staying implementation of farm laws
Actor-turned politician and founder of Makkal Neethi Maiam, Kamal Hassan on Wednesday thanked the Supreme Court for staying the implementation of Centre’s new farm laws.
Speaking to reporters here, Haasan said, “We profusely thank the Supreme Court for doing this (stay) for the nation. We are grateful.”
When pointed to the agitating farmers having reportedly rejected the panel set up by the apex court to resolve the impasse over the farm laws, he said, “at least the dialogue has begun.. if refused we will have to take steps to move further. That is how it will work..”
15:31 (IST)
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Haryana Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala to meet Narendra Modi today
Facing heat over the ongoing farmers’ agitation, Haryana’s Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi later in the day to possibly discuss issues related to the protest.
15:21 (IST)
Farmers Protest LATEST Updates
AMU students to set up health camp, mini library at farmers’ protest site
The Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) students Coordination Committee has announced that they would set up a health camp and a mini library at a farmers’ protest site in the Delhi border as a mark of solidarity with the protesters.
15:11 (IST)
Farmers Protest LATEST Updates
Punjab villages refuse to pause preparations for Republic Day tractor parade, say reports
According to Indian Express, on the day Supreme Court put the three farm laws on hold, a large convoy of tractor-trollies left Amritsar for Delhi to participate in a protest parade announced by farmer unions on Republic Day. The convoy left for Delhi Tuesday under the banner of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC).
A village in Punjab’s Sangrur has even decided to fine those who choose to stay out of the rally, reports NDTV.
15:00 (IST)
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Farmers burn copies of farm laws at Singhu border
Farmers in Punjab on Wednesday burnt copies of the Centre’s three new farm laws at several places on the festival of Lohri as a mark of protest against the legislations.
Protesting farmers owing allegiance to different farm bodies held protest at many places in the state and burnt copies of new agriculture laws.
Farmers also shouted slogans against the BJP-led Centre and slammed the government for not acceding to their demands. They demanded that the new farms laws should be repealed.
Farmers including women under the banner of Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee held a protest at Pandherkalan village in Amritsar.
We burnt the copies of the farm laws as a mark of protest against these legislations, said committee’s general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher in Amritsar. Similar protests are also being held at other places in Amritsar.
कृषि कानूनों के खिलाफ सिंघु बॉर्डर पर विरोध प्रदर्शन कर रहे किसानों ने लोहड़ी पर तीन कानूनों की प्रतियां जलाई। #farmslaws pic.twitter.com/JCjBgv6HYo
— ANI_HindiNews (@AHindinews) January 13, 2021
14:56 (IST)
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Farmers’ body FAIFA asks PM to withdraw bill on cigarette, tobacco
Farmers’ body FAIFA on Wednesday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to recall the proposed bill to amend the law regarding cigarettes and other tobacco products saying it will be a death knell for Indian tobacco farmers, reports PTI.
The proposed COTPA (Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act) Amendment Bill 2020 will provide huge boost to the ever-growing illicit cigarette business in India and will adversely impact the legal cigarette trade, FAIFA, which claims to represent farmers and farm workers of commercial crops across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Gujarat, said in a statement.
Federation of All India Farmer Associations (FAIFA) General Secretary Murali Babu said that in the amendment bill all the provisions of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) are being given effect in full force and in some cases more than as required by FCTC.
14:41 (IST)
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60 farmer deaths don’t embarrass, tractor rally does: Rahul Gandhi
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday hit out at the Centre, criticising the government for its stand that farmers’ tractor rally scheduled on 26 January will cause national embarrassment.
“The Modi government is not embarrassed by the death of more than 60 farmers, but by tractor rally,” he tweeted in Hindi.
60 से ज़्यादा अन्नदाता की शहादत से मोदी सरकार शर्मिंदा नहीं हुई लेकिन ट्रैक्टर रैली से इन्हें शर्मिंदगी हो रही है!
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) January 13, 2021
14:32 (IST)
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SC’s farm laws order a moral defeat for BJP: SAD president
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Tuesday called the Supreme Court’s order of staying the implementation of three new farm laws till further notice a “resounding moral defeat” for the BJP-led government at the Centre.
Badal made the statement in a tweet, hours after the top court expressed concern over “lives and property of people affected” and slammed the Centre for not being able to resolve an agitation that has rumbled on for several weeks.
He also raised concerned over the SC’s setting up of a committee of agricultural experts — all of who have supported the farm laws publicly — to resolve the logjam between the government and farmers
The committee formed by SC, comprising supporters of #AntiFarmerActs, is a joke & unacceptable. It exposes the nexus between Punjab CM @capt_amarinder & BJP-led Centre. @Akali_Dal_ also objects to GoI allegations in SC that Khalistani elements have infiltrated the protest. 2/4
— Sukhbir Singh Badal (@officeofssbadal) January 12, 2021
14:22 (IST)
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Uncertainty looms over next round of talks on 15 January
With the Supreme Court staying the implementation of three contentious farm laws and constituting a four-member committee, uncertainty revolves around the January 15 meeting between the Centre and representatives of the protesting farmer unions, reports The Indian Express. Unidentified officials told the newspaper that as the court has constituted a committee to listen to the farmers’ grievances, “there is no use of holding parallel discussions”.
14:11 (IST)
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‘Fasal Bima Yojana’ increased coverage, benefitted crores of farmers: PM
The crop insurance scheme launched by his government has benefitted crores of farmers by mitigating farming risks against the vagaries of nature, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday as it completed five years since its launch.
In tweets, Modi also asked people to get information on how the ‘PM Fasal Bima Yojana’ has helped farmers from his NaMo app.
An important initiative to secure hardworking farmers from the vagaries of nature, PM Fasal Bima Yojana completes 5 years today. The Yojana has increased coverage, mitigated risk & benefitted crores of farmers. I congratulate all beneficiaries of the scheme. #FasalBima4SafalKisan
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 13, 2021
13:47 (IST)
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Singhu, Tikri, other key Delhi borders remain shut
Movement of traffic between Delhi and its two neighbouring states, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, remains disrupted as six borders are still completely closed because of the ongoing farmers’ agitation, reports the Hindustan Times. Besides this, two other key borders connecting the Capital with Uttar Pradesh are partially closed.
13:38 (IST)
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Haryana Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala to meet PM today
Facing heat over the ongoing six-week-long farmers’ agitation, Haryana’s Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi later in the day to possibly discuss issues related to the protest.
Chautala is the leader of Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) which is an alliance partner in the BJP-led government in Haryana. A section of JJP MLAs is believed to have been facing pressure from the agitating farmers.
In a statement, the JJP said Dushyant Chautala will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday.
Chautala, along with Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday.
13:29 (IST)
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After SC intervention, farmers should withdraw protest: Punjab BJP president
Punjab BJP president Ashwani Sharma on Tuesday appealed to agitating farmers to call off their protest after the Supreme Court’s decision to set up a four-member panel to look into farmers’ grievances.
The Punjab BJP chief also welcomed the apex court’s decision to form the panel to resolve the issues raised by farmers in the three agriculture laws.
He hoped that all doubts of the farmers would be adequately addressed.
Reiterating that the farmers’ fears about the discontinuation of minimum support price or the mandi system were completely unfounded, Sharma said the laws in no way were against the farmer interests.
In a statement, Sharma said the state farmers have contributed immensely to the nation’s foodgrain stocks and the entire country is indebted to them for this.
13:28 (IST)
Farmers Protest LATEST Updates
Farmers to burn copy of new legislations on Lohri today
Farmers protesting at Delhi borders said they will burn copies of Centre’s new agriculture laws at all demonstration sites on the festival of Lohri on Wednesday, as a mark of protest against the legislations.
Incidentally, Wednesday also marks the 50th day of the farmers’ protest in Delhi.
Lohri is mostly celebrated in north India, marking the beginning of the spring season. Bonfires are a special characteristic of the festival.
Farmers’ leader Manjeet Singh Rai said they will celebrate Lohri by burning the copies of farm laws at all protest sites in the evening.
Sankyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of around 40 protesting farmer unions, will hold a meeting later in the day to discuss the next course of action.
This comes a day after the protesting farmer unions asserted they will not appear before the Supreme Court-appointed panel, alleging it was “pro-government”, and said they won’t settle for anything less than the repeal of the three contentious laws.
Farmers Protest LATEST Updates: As per reports, Haryana deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, a day after he met Home minister Amit Shah with Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.
Several JJP MLAs had on Tuesday requested the Centre to rollback the farmer laws. Following this, the JJP chief has back to back meetings with CM ML Khattar and Amit Shah; he will also meet Modi today
Facing heat over the ongoing farmers’ agitation, Haryana’s Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi later in the day to possibly discuss issues related to the protest
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday hit out at the Centre, criticising the government for its stand that farmers’ tractor rally scheduled on 26 January will cause national embarrassment.
Farmers protesting at Delhi borders said they will burn copies of Centre’s new agriculture laws at all demonstration sites on the festival of Lohri on Wednesday, as a mark of protest against the legislations.
Lohri is mostly celebrated in north India, marking the beginning of the spring season. Bonfires are a special characteristic of the festival.
Farmers’ leader Manjeet Singh Rai said they will celebrate Lohri by burning the copies of farm laws at all protest sites in the evening.
Sankyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of around 40 protesting farmer unions, will hold a meeting later in the day to discuss the next course of action.
This comes a day after the protesting farmer unions asserted they will not appear before the Supreme Court-appointed panel, alleging it was “pro-government”, and said they won’t settle for anything less than the repeal of the three contentious laws.
The unions also raised doubts over the neutrality of the members of the committee even as they welcomed the top court’s order to stay the implementation of the laws.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the implementation of the controversial farm laws till further orders and set up the four-member committee to resolve the impasse between the Centre and the farmer unions protesting at Delhi’s borders over the legislations.
Thousands of farmers, mostly from Haryana and Punjab, have been protesting at several border points of Delhi since November 28 last year, demanding a repeal of the three laws and a legal guarantee to the minimum support price (MSP) system for their crops.
Enacted in September last year, the three laws have been projected by the Centre as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove middlemen and allow farmers to sell their produce anywhere in the country.
However, the protesting farmers have expressed their apprehension that the new laws would pave the way for eliminating the safety cushion of the MSP and do away with the “mandi” (wholesale market) system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporates.