Our Correspondent

Fatehgarh Sahib, December 28

SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday faced the wrath of youths and farmers at the historical Fatehgarh Sahib gurdwara, where he had gone to pay obeisance to younger Sahibzadas after the conclusion of Jor Mela.

He was addressing the media in the gurdwara guest house, lashing out at the Centre and state Congress leaders, when a group of youths started raising slogans against him and the Modi government.

Sukhbir’s security guards informed him about the protest outside. The police hurriedly escorted him to his car from the back gate of the gurdwara. The protesters, however, chased his vehicle, raised slogans and showed him black flags.

As soon as Sukhbir left the gurdwara, district SAD president Jagdeep Singh Cheema and other party leaders had a scuffle with protesters. In the melee, the turbans of Cheema and SGPC member Avtar Singh were tossed. The police intervened and managed to calm the tempers.

When contacted, Cheema refused to comment on the matter. All he said was that he was fine. When protesters were probed about the reason for opposing Sukhbir who has been supporting the farmers’ cause, they claimed that the Akalis were hand in glove with the BJP and that they were part of the Central government when the laws were framed.

SSP Amneet Kondal said, “The police had made elaborate security arrangements for Sukhbir’s visit. Mostly youths were protesting. There was no known face of farmers’ unions from the area among protesters. The police are on alert and the situation is under control.”

Harshraj Singh
Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, December 28

When their kin have been protesting at Delhi’s borders for over a month, women from different villages on Monday observed hunger strike here on Ferozepur Road.

Notably, the male members of the Bharti Kisan Union (Ugrahan) have been on chain hunger strike for five days now.

On sixth day today, a group of women, including Jaspal Kaur, Harjinder Kaur, Paramjeet Kaur, Harbhajan Kaur, Sarabjeet Kaur and Rajinder Kaur, sat on hunger strike here to mark protest against ‘draconian’ farm laws.

The kin of three women, who sat on chain hunger strike today, are participating in the Kisan Andolan at Delhi borders.

Harjinder Kaur’s husband and son have been participating in the Kisan Andolan at Delhi borders for over a month now.

“These new farm laws are against the farmers. Actually, these laws have been enacted to benefit the corporates. Modi Government should meet the demands of farmers and repeal these laws at the earliest. We will continue our agitation till these laws are not revoked,” she said.

Paramjeet Kaur and Sarabjit Kaur said that their family members will not come home until the Modi government agrees to repeal the laws.

Bharpur Singh of BKU (Ugrahan), who is participating in the ongoing dharna on Ferozepur Roada, said that a large number of women are already protesting at Delhi borders against the new farm laws.

“The women are also participating in the protests being held in Ludhiana too. A group of women sat on chain hunger strike here today. Besides, many more women from rural as well as urban areas are going to Delhi for intensifying the Kisan Andolan,” he said.

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, December 28

A large numbers of protesting farmers are reportedly porting their mobile phone connections from Jio to other companies in protest against the three farm laws.

Even other mobile companies have started holdings camps at farmers protest and people are getting their connection changed.

The farmers are alleging that the Narendra Modi government has enacted the new farm laws only to benefit big corporate houses. Irked over which, they have started porting their mobile network connection from Jio to other companies in protest.

Speaking to The Tribune over phone, Baljit Singh, IT wing head of Kisan Ekta Morcha, said, “We have given a call to boycott Jio sims around 10 days ago. Since then more than seven lakh Jio connections have been ported to other networks.”

He said, “This is the estimate we have made from our state-level, district-level and block-level farmer unions committees and for officials figure, we have written to Airtel to give us exact figures about the number of people ported from Jio to their network in four states and we will ask figures from Vodafone-Idea as well.”

He added that they had started a campaign boycott Jio and were getting a good response. The mobile companies have also set up camps at the protest sites, where on daily basis large number of farmers are getting their connection ported from Jio.

He claimed that Jio has faced huge loss due to this campaign and irked over which they had lodged a complaint against Airtel and Idea with TRAI.

Jagsir Singh Jhumba, a BKU Ugrahan leader, said, “A large number of farmers have ported their Jio connections to other mobile network in protest as few days back. Another mobile service provider organised a camp at Jeeda toll plaza and around 150 protesters had ported their

connections.”

Further, he added, “31 farmers unions have now taken a decision that they would not damage mobile towers as it is affecting their protest.”

Apart from this, farmers at many places had cut the power supply to Jio mobile towers. Few days back, villagers had disconnected the power supply to the mobile tower in Bhaini Bhaga village in Mansa and Behman Diwana village in Bathinda.

Few days back, Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd has written a letter to the telecom regulator, alleging that rivals Bharti Airtel Ltd and Vodafone

Idea Ltd (Vi) are carrying out unethical and anti-competitive mobile number porting to capitalise on the ongoing farmers’ protest. To counter Jio, Airtel and Vi have called the allegations “baseless”, urging the regulator to dismiss them.

Mathura (UP), December 29

Actor-politician Hema Malini on Tuesday pitched for the three new agri-marketing laws, saying the Narendra Modi government has now given farmers more options to sell their crops.

“Ever since the BJP-led government came to power, it is making every effort to increase the farmer’s income,” Mathura’s BJP MP told reporters through a video link. Earlier, she also talked to officials here through video conferencing.

Chanting the “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan” slogan, Hema Malini praised both soldiers and farmers.

She appealed to farmers and their unions to give up their protest over the new farm laws and sit across the table with the government to remove their apprehensions.

She asked them to have faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him their well-wisher.

Thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab and Haryana, are camping at Delhi’s borders over the agri-marketing laws enacted at the Centre.

Farmer unions claim the laws will end up eroding the minimum support price (MSP) system. But the government says the MSP will stay and the laws give farmer more options to sell their produce.

“I am proud of the farmers of Brijbhumi for joining hands with the farmers of the country who are lauding reforms by the Union government,” she said, implying that the farmers in her constituency were not against the controversial laws.

She condemned the “politics” played over the new laws by the opposition. — PTI

New Delhi, December 28

The government on Monday invited 40 protesting farmer unions for the next round of talks on December 30 on all relevant issues to find a “logical solution” to the current impasse over the three new farm laws.

Meanwhile, Punjab farmer leaders are meeting to delibrate on Central government’s letter, in a Kisan Andolan office at Kundli.

The government’s invite followed a proposal made by unions last week to hold the talks on December 29.

In a letter to the unions, Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Aggarwal has invited them for holding talks at 2 pm on December 30 at Vigyan Bhavan in the national capital.

So far, five rounds of formal talks held between the Centre and 40 protesting farmer unions remained inconclusive.

Taking note of the unions’ offer to resume talks, Aggarwal said, “The government is also committed to finding a logical solution on all relevant issues with a clear intention and an open mind.”

It’s been over a month now that thousands of farmers, especially from Punjab, Haryana and parts of Uttar Pradesh, are camping at Delhi borders seeking repeal of the three farm laws. They have threatened to intensify their stir in the coming days if their demands are not fulfilled. — PTI

New Delhi, December 29 

The Centre and the protesting farmer unions will resume stalled talks on Wednesday with the latter sticking to their hardline position that the parleys will only be on the modalities of repealing the three new agri laws and giving a legal guarantee on the MSP among other issues.

Ahead of the crucial sixth round of talks after a three-week hiatus, Union ministers Narendra Singh Tomar and Piyush Goyal on Tuesday met senior BJP leader and Home Minister Amit Shah. Sources said they discussed and finalised the government’s position for the meeting.

Tomar, the minister for Agriculture, and Goyal, the minister for Food and Consumer Affairs, and MoS Commerce and Industry Som Parkash have been representing the Centre at the talks with the farmers. Tomar on Monday said he hopes for a breakthrough soon.

Also read: Anti-farm law demonstration lathicharged in Patna, several injured

The Centre on Monday invited the 40 protesting farmer unions for the next round of talks on December 30 on all relevant issues to find a “logical solution” with “open mind” to the prolonged impasse over the three new agri laws that was enacted in September.

But in its letter on Tuesday, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, the umbrella organisation which represents the farmer unions, said the modalities for repealing the three contentious laws and a legal guarantee on minimum support price (MSP) must be part of the agenda.

The Morcha further said the agenda should also include amendments to be made and notified in the Commission for the Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Ordinance, 2020 to exclude farmers from its penal provisions.

Through the letter, the Morcha also formally accepted the government’s invitation for the dialogue.

Also read: Hema Malini pitches for farm laws

The letter also stated that withdrawal of the Electricity Amendment Bill 2020 to protect the interests of farmers should also be part of the agenda.

The fifth round of talks was held on December 5, while the sixth round originally scheduled for December 9 was called off after an informal meeting of Home Minister Shah with some union leaders failed to reach any breakthrough.

The government had, however, followed up Shah’s meeting with a draft proposal sent to the unions in which it had suggested 7-8 amendments to the new laws and written assurance on the MSP procurement system. It has ruled out a repeal of the three agri laws.

In a letter to the farmer unions, Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Aggarwal on Monday invited them for the talks at 2 pm on Wednesday at Vigyan Bhavan in the national capital.

The farmers had also written to the government on December 26 listing the agenda.

In the latest letter, the Morcha pointed out that in its December 26 communication to the government, it had mentioned “changes” by mistake instead of “withdrawal” in the Electricity Amendment Bill 2020.

Also read: Farmer bodies against any act causing damage to mobile towers: BKU Ekta Ugrahan leader

Farmer unions also deferred to Thursday their proposed tractor march against the contentious agriculture laws, so that the rally does not clash with their talks with the government.

Thousands of protesting farmers, mostly from Punjab and Haryana, have been camping at three Delhi border points—Singhu, Ghazipur and Tikri—for the past 31 days, demanding a repeal of the three farm laws and legal guarantee for MSP.

The Congress demanded legal sanctity to the demands of farmers including that on ensuring the MSP.

Addressing a joint press conference, Congress leaders Rajeev Shukla and Govind Dotasra said the government must immediately repeal the three farm laws and bring fresh ones after incorporating the demands of farmers and then get them passed by Parliament.

Shukla also said it was wrong on the part of the government to dub the farmers agitation as political as it is an attempt to defame farmers.

NCP supremo and former agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, meanwhile, accused the Centre of bulldozing the farm laws without consulting states and asserted that agriculture cannot be run “sitting in Delhi” as it involves farmers toiling in distant villages.

Pawar also raised questions about the composition of the three-member ministerial group negotiating with the unions, saying the ruling party should have put forward leaders with “in-depth” understanding of agriculture and farmers’ issues.

In an interview with PTI, the former union minister said the government needs to take the protests seriously and it was “unfair” on the part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to blame opposition parties for the agitation by farmers.

He said the opposition parties will take a call on their future course of action on Wednesday if the government fails to resolve the impasse.

The three farm 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 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.

Here is the translated text of the letter originally written in Hindi:

‘Your letter dated 28 December 2020 (No. 105/2020) was received. Thank you for accepting the proposal we sent for the meeting. We accept the invitation to speak at 2:00 pm on 30 December.

We remind you that we are coming to this dialogue to discuss the following agenda mentioned in our previous letter and in the order given below:

1. Modalities to be adopted to repeal / repeal the three Central Agricultural Laws;

2. Procedure and provision for legal guarantee for procurement on profitable MSP suggested by National Farmers Commission for all farmers and agricultural commodities;

3. Amendments to the ‘Commission Ordinance for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Territory and adjoining areas, 2020’ which are necessary to exclude farmers from the penal provisions of the ordinance;

4. Procedure for withdrawal of draft ‘Electricity Amendment Bill 2020’ (amendment: previous letter mistakenly written “necessary changes”) to protect the interests of farmers.

Our dialogue must follow this agenda in order for a “rational solution to the relevant issues”.

Yours faithfully,

Samyukt Kisan Morcha

— Agencies

Pune, December 28

Social activist Anna Hazare has threatened to go on a hunger strike if his demands on issues concerning farmers are not met by the Union government by the end of January next year, and said it would be his “last protest”.

Speaking to reporters in his Ralegaon Siddhi village in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra on Sunday, Hazare said he had been holding protests for cultivators since the past three years but the government had done nothing to resolve the issues.

“The government is just giving empty promises due to which I do not have any trust left (in the government). Let’s see, what action the Centre takes on my demands. They have sought time for a month, so I have given them time till January-end. If my demands are not met, I will resume my hunger strike protest. This would be my last protest,” the 83-year-old said.

On December 14, Hazare wrote a letter to Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar warning of a hunger strike if his demands like the implementation of the MS Swaminathan Committee’s recommendations and granting autonomy to the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP), were not accepted.

Senior BJP leader and former Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Haribhau Bagade recently met Hazare to explain him the details of the three farm laws introduced by the Centre.

Hazare observed a fast on December 8 in support of the Bharat Bandh called by farmer organisations demanding a repeal of the agri laws.

Farmers have been protesting at borders of Delhi for over a month against the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

The three farm laws, enacted in September, have been projected by the government as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove middlemen and allow farmers to sell anywhere in the country.

However, the protesting tillers have expressed apprehension that the new laws would pave the way for eliminating the safety cushion of Minimum Support Price and do away with the mandis, leaving them at the mercy of big corporates. The Centre has repeatedly asserted that these mechanisms will remain. PTI