Farmers' Protest Farmers' unions agree for fresh talks with Centre; protesters destroy Reliance Jio telecom towers in Punjab
New Delhi/IBNS: The farmers' unions have agreed to Centre's proposal to meet for another round of talks on December 30 to resolve the current impasse over the new farm laws, media reports said.
However, the farmers insisted that the agenda of the meeting should include discussions on working out modalities for repealing the three farm laws though the Centre has repeatedly said complete withdrawal of the laws wouldn't be possible.
On Monday, the Centre invited 40 farmer union leaders to a discussion to work out a “logical solution” to the current deadlock over the farm laws.
“The government is also committed to finding a logical solution on all relevant issues with a clear intention and an open mind,” the letter written by Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Aggarwal to the farmer unions said, according to an Indian Express report.
Meanwhile farmers vandalised at least more than 1,500 of Reliance Jio's 9,000 telecom towers in Punjab to show protest against the newly formed farm laws, said an NDTV report.
Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amrinder Singh on Monday warned of stern action against those destroying the telecom towers and directed the police to take strict action against the culprits.
Farmers in Punjab have been attacking the infrastructure owned by Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio as the protesting farmers think Relaince would be the biggest beneficiary from the farm laws and at their cost.
According to the NDTV report, videos of JIO employees threatened and made to flee are circulating and some bundles of Jio's fibre cable were burnt in Jalandhar.
So far, police had not taken any action against the vandalisers, the report said, adding that Monday was the first time that the Punjab Chief Minister said he would not tolerate anarchy and destruction of public and private property in the state.
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