The crucial seventh round of talks between the government and 41 farmers' representatives at Delhi's Vigyan Bhawan, which began on Monday morning, has ended without any breakthrough. The next round of talks is expected on January 8 at 2 PM, news agencies reported.
The meeting had started around 2.30 p.m. at Vigyan Bhavan in the presence of Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal and Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Som Parkash.
Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agarwal and other Ministry officials had also attended the meeting.
The farmers' representatives demanded the government to repeal the three farm laws in the meeting today.
Union Ministers Narendra Singh Tomar, Piyush Goyal and Som Parkash along with government officials and representatives of farmers also observed a two-minute silence for farmers who died during the ongoing protest.
After the meeting, Rakesh Tikait, Spokesperson of Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) said that farmers, who are protesting for over a month against three agriculture laws at different borders of the national capital will not go back until the Acts are repealed.
"Discussion took place on our demands -- repeal of the three laws and MSP... Kannon wapasi nahi, to ghar wapasi nahi (We will not go home until the laws are withdrawn)," Tikait told ANI.
Krantikari Kisan Union President (Punjab) Darshan Pal, Bharatiya Kisan Union's Jagjeet Singh Dalewal and Balbir Singh Rajewal, Jamhuri Kishan Sabha Punjab General Secretary Kulwant Singh, and Bharatiya Kisan Union (Uttar Pradesh) President Rakesh Tikait are among the 41 farm union leaders particpating in the meeting.
The agitating farmers have already announced they will take out a tractor rally towards Delhi on Republic Day, besides a series of programmes in a bid to intensify their protest if their demands to withdraw the three contentious farm laws enacted in September and a written assurance on the Minimum Support Price (MSP) are not met.
Modalities for the repeal of the three Central farm acts and putting the mechanisms for a remunerative MSP as recommended by the National Farmers' Commission into a legally guaranteed entitlement for all farmers and all agricultural commodities is the major agenda of the meeting.
In the sixth round of talks the government agreed to the farmers demand to exclude them from the penal provisions of the 'Commission for the Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Ordinance, 2020' and changes in the draft Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2020 to protect the interests of farmers.
Thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh have been protesting at the borders of the national capital demanding the repeal of the three farm laws, among other issues.
(With inputs from agencies)
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