Govt ready for talks but won't roll back farm laws: Tomar

Union Agricultural Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said that the government is ready for talks with the farmers but farm laws will not be rolled back. After repeated requests from the Centre to resume the discussion to end the stalemate, the unions have given December 29 for talks and the government has invited them on December 30.

New Delhi: Reiterating that the government is hopeful of ending the impasse soon, Union Agricultural minister Narendra Singh Tomar Monday said that government will not back down from the three farm laws. Tomar said that the government spends nearly Rs 22 thousand crore on the storage on the large-scale production of food grains out of which at least 37 per cent gets wasted and the losses are borne by them.

While addressing a virtual event organised by Confederation of NGOs of Rural India (CNRI), the agricultural minister said, "It is the responsibility of the government to bring in laws which provides investment opportunities to the farmers and benefits them. We have brought the new farm laws to save the farmers from the clutches of the mandis and Inspector Raj and it is the need of the hour."

Farmer unions and organisations from the National Council of Agricultural Research today backed the government's farm laws.

Expressing regret that some have created "misconception in a planned manner" in the hearts of protesting farmers on these farm laws, the Minister said, however, the government is constantly engaging with such farmer unions.

He said the benefits of the new farm laws have started reaching farmers. Many peasants are 'thinking positive' of these legislations, but there is "confusion" in some sections of the farmers.

"I am hopeful we will be successful in clearing their concerns," he noted.

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Tomar asserted that the government will not roll back the farm laws and they believe that dialogue is the only weapon for resolving the issues.

So far, five rounds of formal talks held between the Centre and 40 protesting farmer unions remained inconclusive. After repeated requests from the Centre to resume the discussion to end the stalemate, the unions have given December 29 for talks.

The government, in response, has written to the unions inviting them for talks on December 30. However, the response does not mention the agenda of the farmers.

All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee said that the government has not accepted their proposed agenda and is playing with words. This makes it clear that the government will not solve their problem.

Rashtriya Kisan Mahasangh spokesperson Abhimanyu Kohar told ETV Bharat, "Farmers are ready to talk with the government and a proposal of talks has been sent for December 29. The farmers are discussing the proposal sent by the government."

On December 30, the government has invited the Kisan Morcha for talks and on this day the outfit has announced a large tractor rally in Singhu which will include more than one thousand tractors.

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