The government is holding talks with farmers "with full sensitivity", Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said today as he wished farmers on Kisan Diwas or Farmers' Day, which marks the birth anniversary of Chaudhary Charan Singh, the fifth Prime Minister of India. The day coincides with the 28th straight day of protests by farmer groups against the controversial new farm laws.
"On Farmers' Day, I greet all annadaatas (farmers) of the country. They have provided the country with food security. Some farmers are agitating against farm laws. The government is holding talks with them with full sensitivity. I hope that they'll end their agitation soon," Mr Singh tweeted in Hindi.
Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar will meet with farmer groups this afternoon as the government tries drumming support for the farm laws. The farmer NGOs are expected to lend a "conditional support" to the farm laws, sources said.
On Tuesday, protesting farmers said that a decision on the centre's offer for fresh talks has been deferred to today, even as they stuck to their demand to repeal the three farm laws.
A group of protesters showed black flags to Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and even tried to block his convoy in Ambala City, as demonstrations were held in several states in support of the thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab and Haryana, who are on a sit-in since November 26 on the borders of the national capital demanding the repeal of the three laws.
The sixth round of talks on December 9 was cancelled following a deadlock with the farmer unions refusing to budge from their demand for repealing the three laws.
