'There's an invisible force that does not want farmers' agitation to end': Union Agriculture minister Narendra Tomar

Union Agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Sunday said that the farmers' unions only talk about the farm laws' withdrawal and do not analyse the benefits or harms of the Centre's three new farm laws. He added that there is an invisible force that does not want the farmers' agitation, which has been going on at the Delhi borders since November 26 last year, to end.

"The farmer unions only talk about the farm laws' withdrawal. They do not analyse the benefits or harms of the farm laws. That is why the discussions so far did not bear any fruit," Tomar told Aaj Tak. "There is an invisible force that does not want this agitation to end. I can't see it but I feel there is a force that stresses not ending the agitation and ends up derailing our negotiations," he added.

"Farm laws were passed under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi and with the farm laws, the government had attempted to make several changes in the agricultural sector for the benefit of the farmers. The Centre is completely sensitive towards the farmers and has taken several steps forward to hold talks with them to resolve the issues," Narendra Singh Tomar further said.

Meanwhile, the farmers are all set to hold a tractor rally on Republic Day against the Centre's three contentious farm laws. After a short meeting with officers of Delhi Police on Sunday, the protesting farmers have got a formal permission, said Swaraj India chief Yogendra Yadav.

Joginder Singh, the farmer leader of Punjab's Malwa region and President of the Bharatiya Kisan Union Ekta (Ugrahan), said more farmers are marching towards Delhi along with their tractors from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and other provinces of the country to take part in the tractor rally.

"Volunteers have been assigned specific works for the farmers' parade", he said, adding that more than one lakh tractors were ready to take part in the parade, and women too would march to Delhi in open trolleys.

Punjab farmer leader and General Secretary of the BKU, Parminder Singh Pal Majra, said lakhs of farmers would participate in the rally. He informed that this rally would take place within a radius of 100 km in the NCR.