Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait who has been participating in the agitation against the farm laws alleged that he has received a death threat over the phone.
"It was a phone call from Bihar. They were threatening to kill me with arms. I have forwarded the recording to the police captain. They will do what is needed to be done next," said Tikait.
Tikait is at the forefront of protests against the farm laws. He has filed a complaint at Kaushambi Police Station.
Meanwhile, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, a joint front of almost 40 farmer organisations, wrote a letter to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare accepting the Centre's offer for dialogue and proposed December 29 as the next date for the meeting.
The farmer unions also put forth a four-point agenda and asked that the campaign launched by the entire state machinery to defame and malign the farmers' movement must stop.
As part of the four-point agenda, the joint front of farmer unions asked the government to adopt the modalities for the repeal of the three Central Farm Acts, and make changes in the draft Electricity Amendment Bill 2020 to protect the interests of farmers.
The farmers have been protesting since last month at the Singhu border against the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. They are demanding the repeal of the three laws.
The farmer unions have held five rounds of talks with the government and attended a meeting called by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Enacted in September, the three farm laws have been projected by the Centre as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove the middlemen and allow farmers to sell their produce anywhere in the country.
However, the protesting farmers have expressed the apprehension that the new laws would pave the way for eliminating the safety cushion of the MSP and do away with the "mandi" (wholesale market) system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporates.
