New Delhi: The talks between the Centre and Punjab farmers' unions on Wednesday failed on after the union representatives held a walk-out citing the absence of Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar at the meeting.
According to reports, the farmers from 29 unions agreed to meet the Union Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agarwal as he extended an invitation to members of the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC).
Farmers' representatives said the Union Ministers were holding meetings in Punjab and spreading "propaganda" even as the union leaders were called for a meeting with the Agriculture Secretary in New Delhi.
Speaking to ETV Bharat, Farmer leader, Jagjit Singh Dalewal said: "The Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar didn't even bother to attend the meeting. The Agriculture Secretary wasn't ready to listen to us, he was only telling us the benefits, we already know about the bill and this meeting should have heard us."
"We reached here for a discussion on the invitation of the central government, but later we got to know that many Union Ministers are present in Punjab and are meeting farmers spreading their propaganda. Since the Minister did not come to the meeting, we decided to boycott this meeting," said, AIKSCC president, Dr Darshan Pal.
"We came to the meeting because we did not want to give the impression that farmers are not open to dialogue. But we also want to meet the Prime Minister and the Agriculture Minister," Dr Pal said.
Dalewal said that the delegation travelled from Punjab to meet the Agriculture Minister and not the Secretary.
The farmers started sloganeering inside the ministry after the meeting ended abruptly and they tore the copies of the farm bill outside the ministry.
The farmers submitted a 10-point memorandum with their demands to the Agriculture Secretary Aggrawal.
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