Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 25 released Rs.18,000 crore as the next installment of financial benefits under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme in the bank accounts of nine crore farmers. The Prime Minister is now interacting virtually with farmers from six States.
The Centre had invited protesting farmer unions again for resumption of the stalled talks and asked them to choose a date of their convenience to end the impasse over the three new farm laws.
But the farmer unions alleged that the government’s latest letter for talks is nothing but a propaganda against the peasants to create an impression they are not interested in dialogue, and asked it to put the scrapping of the new farm laws in the agenda to resume the parleys.
The Sanyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of 40 farmer unions protesting at three border points of Delhi – Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur – for the last 27 days, is likely to hold a meeting on Friday to discuss the Centre’s letter and respond to it formally.
Working for the welfare of our hardworking farmers. #PMKisan https://t.co/sqBuBM1png
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 25, 2020
The Union Agriculture ministry while extending a fresh invite, however, made it clear that it would not be “logical” to include in the agenda any new demand related to minimum support price (MSP), saying it was out of the purview of the new farm laws.
However, the unions said the MSP cannot be separated from the demand of repealing the contentious laws, asserting the issue of a legal guarantee for it is a key part of their agitation
The ministry also reiterated it is ready to find a “logical solution” to the issues raised by protesting farmer unions.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Modi addressed farmers from six States, as part of the virtual event for releasing the next installment of PM-KISAN to nine crore farmers. Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar also participated in the event.
The Congress, meanwhile, stepped up its attack on the government and petitioned President Ram Nath Kovind and demanded a joint session of Parliament to repeal the laws, with party leader Rahul Gandhi alleging that democracy is only “imaginary” in India.
Mr. Gandhi met the President and handed over a memorandum stated to have been signed by 2 crore farmers and demanded a repeal of the laws, saying they will not benefit the farmers or labourers. The Centre has rejected the demand for repeal of the laws, saying the reforms are beneficial to farmers.
Congress leaders earlier staged a sit-in protest outside the party headquarters in the National Capital after they were prevented from marching towards Rashtrapati Bhawan. The leaders including Priyanka Gandhi were detained by the police for violating prohibitory orders.
The BJP on its part challenged Rahul Gandhi for an open debate on what the Congress did for farmers’ welfare when in power and what the Modi government has done for them, as it rejected his allegations against the Centre as “baseless and illogical”.
