New Delhi: The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait on Sunday (January 3, 2021) said that the farmers' protests will not end till the Centre rolls back the new agricultural laws. Tikait's comments come a day ahead of the seventh round of talks with the Centre to end the deadlock.
Rakesh Tikait also alleged that the new farm laws have been made for the benefit of capitalists and said that soon Rajasthan farmers will also reach the Delhi border.
"The Samyukt Kisan Morcha, Gurugram should help them in all possible ways," he stated.
Other farmer leaders protesting at Delhi's Singhu border said they will celebrate the festival of Lohri on January 13 by burning copies of new farm laws.
They also said that they will observe the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on January 23 as 'Azad Hind Kisan Diwas'.
"We will celebrate the Lohri festival on January 13 by burning the copies of farm laws," said farmers' leader Manjeet Singh Rai.
Another farmers' leader Onkar Singh said, "The government should leave its stubbornness. In these conditions, the farmers, including elders, have been sitting on protest, but the government is not concerned about it."
Notably, the farmers' protests have entered day 37 on Sunday and six rounds of talks between the farmer leaders and the Centre have not given any outcome.
Earlier on December 30, 2020, Union Minister for Agriculture Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister for Railways, Commerce and Industry and Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Piyush Goyal and Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Som Prakash participated in the 6th round of talks with the representatives of farmers' unions at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.
Tomar had assured the farmers' unions leaders that the government is committed to solving farmers' problems and both sides need to take steps forward to arrive at an amicable solution.
He had also assured them that the MSP and the Mandi system will continue like before and the demand of the farmers' unions for an MSP law and the difference between MSP and market rates for agricultural produce would be referred to a committee when it is constituted.
On the unions' demand for the repeal of Farm Laws, the Union Minister had said that this too can be referred to a committee which will study the constitutional validity and propriety keeping in mind the welfare of farmers.
He had also appealed to farmers' unions to end the agitation so that women, children and elders can go back home.
Farmers have camped at the borders of the national capital since November 26 against the recently enacted three farm laws namely the 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.
