The meeting was attended by the agriculture secretary, but the farmers demanded the presence of the minister. They also tore copies of the new farm laws.
A meeting of a conglomerate of 30 protesting farmers' bodies from Punjab with the government regarding the controversial farm Bills ended inconclusively and abruptly on Wednesday as Union minister for agriculture Narendra Singh Tomar was not available. The meeting was attended by the agriculture secretary, but the farmers demanded the presence of the minister.
The absence of the agriculture minister irked the farmers who raised slogans inside the ministry and also tore copies of the new farm laws stating that their agitation would continue. The All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) said the farmers had agreed to the meeting because they didn't want to be unreasonable and stubborn.
"We weren't satisfied with the discussions, so we walked out. We want these black laws to be scrapped. The Secretary said he will communicate our demands further," a farmers' union leader was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. "We walked out as no minister came for the meeting. We want these laws to be taken back," said another leader.
The farmers had started the agitation right after the new farm laws were passed in the Monsoon Session of Parliament in September and there have been widespread protests across the nation. The farmers are being backed by the Opposition parties, including the Congress. They have been demanding that the new farm laws be scrapped.
The biggest of these groups, the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan), which did not attend Tuesday's meeting, had also decided to join forces at Wednesday's talks.
The Bills seek to replace the Farmers` Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, 2020 promulgated on June 5. The Centre, however, counts the new laws among is big ticket reforms in the agriculture sector as it feels this would free the farmers from the clutches of the middlemen and usher in new farming technology.
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