Union Cabinet ministers and farmers on Tuesday evening began talks in Delhi as protests against new agricultural laws continued outside Delhi. Thirty-five farmers’ representatives are meeting Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal. The Centre today expressed confidence that it will reach a solution after discussing issues raised by protesting farmers.
Farmers have come to Delhi for a decisive battle and will continue their stir against the new farm laws, their leaders say, even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi continues to defend the legislation and accuse the Opposition of playing tricks on farmers again through misinformation.
Meanwhile, the opposition parties have stepped up pressure, asking the Centre to “respect the democratic struggle” of the farmers and repeal the laws.
Peaceful sit-ins by farmers, mostly from Punjab and Haryana, continued for the sixth day at the Singhu and Tikri borders with no untoward incident reported. Long queues of vehicles choked the roads as the Delhi Police kept the Singhu and Tikri borders closed and heightened checking at others.
Many protesters said that they have come prepared for a long haul with rations and other necessities.
