14:38 (IST)
Union Ministers begin 8th round of talks with farmers’ leaders
Union ministers Narendra Singh Tomar and Piyush Goyal arrived at the Vigyan Bhavan and began the eighth round of talks with farmers’ leaders.
Ahead of the meet, Tomar had said that both sides will have to take steps to move towards a solution, adding that the government is ready to consider any proposal other than repealing the three agricultural laws.
14:29 (IST)
Farmers near Delhi send trucks of firewood for Ghazipur protesters
Amidst rain and cold in Delhi, farmers rom Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Gautam Budh Nagar, Bagpat and other adjoining areas of western Uttar Pradesh sent trucks loaded with firewood to farmers protesting at Ghazipur border.
“We have plenty of firewood back home and our brothers are shivering in rain and cold in Delhi. So we decided to keep resupplying firewood. So far, we have supplied over four tractor trolley full of firewood,” said Ranveer Tewatia, a farmer from Meerut, said India Today.
14:06 (IST)
Protesting Congress leaders meet Priyanka Gandhi
Congress MPs and leaders who are protesting against Centre’s three farm laws at Jantar Mantar met party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra at Rahul Gandhi’s residence.
Lok Sabha members from Punjab Ravneet Singh Bittu, Jasbir Singh Gill and Gurdeep Singh Aujla and MLA Kulbir Singh Zira have been staying put at Jantar Mantar since 6 December to express solidarity with the agitating farmers. “We will continue till the farm laws are withdrawn,” Gill, a Lok Sabha member from Khadoor Sahib, said.
Delhi: Congress MPs and leaders who are protesting against Centre’s three farm laws at Jantar Mantar meet party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra at Rahul Gandhi’s residence pic.twitter.com/zcjNWMrIxW
— ANI (@ANI) January 8, 2021
13:44 (IST)
JP Nadda to launch campaign to woo farmers on 9 January
BJP national president JP Nadda will be visiting West Bengal’s Purba Bardhaman district on Saturday to launch the party’s new campaign aimed at wooing farmers, amid the ongoing protest over the contentious agriculture laws.
Nadda, in a bid to blunt opposition camp’s “anti- farmer” allegations against the BJP-led central government, will float ‘Ek Muthi Chawal‘ (a fistful of rice), a project under which he would collect rice from farmers’ homes and brief them about the benefits of the new legislations.
13:38 (IST)
Ahead of talks, Tomar says each will have to take steps towards solution
Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar,ahead of eighth round of talks with the farmers, said he is hopeful that talks will be held in a “positive atmosphere” and a solution will be found. “During discussions, each side has to take steps to reach a solution,” he said.
13:31 (IST)
Farmers’ leaders make way for Vigyan Bhavan
Leaders appointed by protesting farmers left for Vigyan Bhavan from the Singhu border for the eighth round of talks with the Centre.
Haryana: Farmer leaders from Singhu border leave for Vigyan Bhawan in Delhi for the eighth round of talks with the Union Government on farm laws pic.twitter.com/ai1vd8VN9K
— ANI (@ANI) January 8, 2021
13:13 (IST)
15 Uttar Pradesh farmers sit on hunger strike
Amid ongoing protests against the farm laws, 15 farmers from Uttar Pradesh sat on a hunger strike in Noida.
The 15 protesters are from the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Lok Shakti) and are camping at the Dalit Prerna Sthal, while 11 farmers belonging to the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Bhanu) are already on a relay hunger strike at the Chilla border since a fortnight, according to NDTV.
The 15 protesters belong to Gautam Buddh Nagar, Bulandshahr, Firozabad, Aligarh, Kasganj, among other places in the state.
13:01 (IST)
Farm leader’s metaphor ahead of talks with Centre
Ahead of the eight round of talks, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) spokesperson Rakesh Tikait, said the government is giving dates for court hearings without a case in place.
“Government is giving tareekh pe takeekh (dates after dates) with a case. They (the government) are also trying to use the probable spread of the COVID-19 virus as an excuse to end our protest. Political parties held large gatherings during the Bihar elections and also in Telangana. If COVID-19 starts spreading here we”ll see,” he stated. He reiterated that farmers will go home after the government agreed to protesters’ demands and repealed the laws.
12:54 (IST)
SC expresses concern over large gathering of farmers amid COVID pandemic
The Supreme Court on Thursday expressed concern over large gatherings of farmers protesting against the farm laws at Delhi borders and asked the Centre whether they were “protected” against the spread of COVID-19.
Referring to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Nizammudin Markaz after the nationwide lockdown was announced last year, a Bench headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde, said, “The same problem is going to arise in farmers’ agitation. I do not know if farmers are protected from COVID. So, the same problem is going to arise. It is not that everything is over.”
12:42 (IST)
Harsimrat Kaur Badal says Centre has lost trust of farmers
Shiromani Akali Dal leader and former Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal said the Centre has lost the trust of the entire farming community and Prime Minister Narendra Modi should directly talk to farmers who are registering their protests at the doorstep of the national capital.
In an interview to PTI, Badal, leader of the BJP’s erstwhile ally, said, “Farmers are dying at the doorstep of the central government while protesting for their demands. Who will be responsible for deaths of ‘annadaatas’ of the country?” Badal said.
alking about the ongoing meetings between protesting farmers and Centre, Badal said after seven rounds of meetings nothing concrete has come out. “After several rounds of meetings if ministers are unable to resolve the farmers’ issues then Prime Minister Narendra Modi should directly talk to protesting farmers,” Badal said.
12:41 (IST)
Narendra Singh Tomar-led committee to meet 41 farm leaders
The eighth round of talks will be held between a ministerial committee, including Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Food Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Som Prakash, and 41 representatives of farm organisations at the Vigyan Bhavan.
12:35 (IST)
Peaceful protests integral part of democracy: Rahul Gandhi
Voicing support for the farmers’ agitation, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said protests are an integral part of democracy.
In a tweet in Hindi, he further said, “The movement that farmers have launched is getting support from across the country. You too should raise your voice in support of them so that anti-farmers’ laws are repealed.”
शांतिपूर्ण आंदोलन लोकतंत्र का एक अभिन्न हिस्सा होता है। हमारे किसान बहन-भाई जो आंदोलन कर रहे हैं, उसे देश भर से समर्थन मिल रहा है।
आप भी उनके समर्थन में अपनी आवाज़ जोड़कर इस संघर्ष को बुलंद कीजिए ताकि कृषि-विरोधी क़ानून ख़त्म हों।#किसान_के_लिए_बोले_भारत pic.twitter.com/fT7ujHPg3g
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) January 8, 2021
12:32 (IST)
Minister says clause-wise talks will solve farmers’ issues
MoS (agriculture) Kailash Choudhary said a solution to the farmers’ issues could be found if clause-wise talks are held between the protestors and the Centre. “Government of India is ready to make amendments in the laws. We are hopeful of resolution,” he said.
On Thursday, Choudhary told ANI “There are people like Communists who are inciting farmers and don’t want peace in the country”. Choudhary urged the farmers to be cautious.
Meanwhile, Balvinder Singh Raju, a farmer, told Hindustan Times that there is no scope for clause-by-clause discussion between protestors and the government.
12:12 (IST)
Border cross points between Delhi and UP, Haryana remain closed for traffic
Border crossing points to Delhi from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh continued to remain closed for traffic on Friday.
The Delhi Police have advised commuters from Uttar Pradesh to take routes passing through Anand Vihar, DND, Loni DND, and Apsara as Chilla and Ghazipur border crossings are closed.
The Delhi-Haryana borders at Singhu, Tikri, Auchandi, Piau Maniyari, Saboli, and Mangesh remain closed. The police have advised commuters from Haryana to take alternate routes via Lampur Safiabad, Palla, and Singhu school toll tax borders. The traffic from Haryana has been diverted from Mukarba and GTK Road. Commuters have been advised to avoid Outer Ring Road, GTK Road, and NH-44.
12:09 (IST)
Over 60 farmers have died during protests so far
Over 60 farmers have died till now, many die to the extreme weather conditions prevailing in the northern part of India.
The protesters say the laws will threaten their financial position and bargaining power. The government, however, insists these will only free them more than ever to trade their produce in a wider market.
12:06 (IST)
Farmers’ protest enters Day 44
For 44 days now, thousands of farmers from Punjab and Haryana have been camping at several Delhi borders, demanding repeal of the laws and a legal guarantee on minimum support prices for their crops, among other things.
In the seven round of talks between the farmers’ unions and the government so far, two of the four demands have been met with. The farmers, however, said the protest would continue unless the farm reform laws are repealed.
11:56 (IST)
Eighth round of talks between Centre, farmers at 2 pm
The protesting farmers will hold their eighth round of talks with the government today at 2 pm, even as the Centre ruled out any possibility of repealing the three agricultural laws.
The last round of talks on 4 January failed to end the impasse and the farmers threatened to intensify the stir and enter Delhi on Republic Day if their demands were not met.
Farmers’ protest LATEST Updates: Narendra Singh Tomar and Piyush Goyal arrived at the Vigyan Bhavan and began the eighth round of talks with farmers’ leaders.
Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said on Thursday that the government is ready to consider any proposal other than repeal of three farm laws, the key demand of the farmers. A committee led by him will meet farmers’ representatives to hold the eighth round of talks.
As the farmers’ agitation against the agricultural laws enters the 44th day on Friday, the Centre will hold the eight round of talks with farmers on Friday. The talks to be held at 2 pm come a day after a tractor rally was held on Thursday on various Delhi borders.
Farm union leaders had said last week that thousands of farmers will enter Delhi on Republic Day and hold a tractor parade.
The eighth round of talks will be held between a ministerial committee, including Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Food Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Som Prakash, and 41 representatives of farm organisations.
Seven rounds of talks held so far have borne no results as the farmers are adamant on the complete rollback of the three new farm laws, while the government refuses to repeal them. Even as the farmers also stuck to the demand of legal guarantee of Minimum Support Price (MSP), The government offered making amendments to the laws as well as forming committee comprising members from both sides to review these, proposals that were rejected by the farmers.
On Thursday, Tomar met religious leader Baba Lakha Singh, one of the heads of the Nanaksar Sikh sect based in Punjab. Singh, who has been organising langar at the protest sites, said he wished to mediate between the government and protesting farmers.
Border crossing points to Delhi from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh continued to remain closed for traffic on Friday due to the ongoing farmers’ protest.
The Delhi Police have advised commuters from Uttar Pradesh to take routes passing through Anand Vihar, DND, Loni DND, and Apsara as Chilla and Ghazipur border crossings are closed. The Delhi-Haryana borders at Singhu, Tikri, Auchandi, Piau Maniyari, Saboli, and Mangesh, too, remain closed.
Thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and other states are camped in and around Delhi over the past many weeks in protest against the new farm laws.
The laws in contention are Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
The Supreme Court of India will hear petitions against farm laws and issues pertaining to the farmers’ protest on 11 January.