Shah, Tomar discuss farmers’ issues with Punjab BJP leaders

New Delhi: As the Centre’s talks with protesting farmers continue to be stalled, Union Home Minister Amit Shah held discussions on the farmers’ issues with Punjab BJP leaders on Sunday in the presence of Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar.

At the nearly 40-minute meeting at Shah’s residence here, the situation in Punjab and steps to tackle the protest that farmers plan to intensify in the coming days were also discussed. Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industries Som Parkash was also present.

Though details of the meeting were not known, sources told IANS that the leaders mulled a new strategy to handle the agitation that has been affecting the supply chains to the national capital due to closure of five border points that connect Delhi with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh from different directions.

The moves comes after a group of 32 farm unions on Saturday announced to hold a day- long ‘hunger strike’ at Singhu border on the Delhi-Ambala route on December 14 and to spread the ongoing protest across India in the absence of any positive signal from the Centre to roll back the three farm laws enacted in September.

Thousands of farmers are protesting on Delhi’s borders under the open skies to seek the withdrawal of The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. They call these laws ‘black law’, ‘draconian’ and ‘anti-farmer’.

The government is instead ready to undertake amendments to the laws, reiterating that they are for the benefit of farmers.