Farmers' protest
As protest enters 25th day, farmers threaten to block UP-Delhi border
New Delhi/IBNS: As the protest against the Centre's contentious farms laws entered the 25th day, farmers have threatened to block Ghazipur border between Uttar Pradesh and the national capital.
The threat comes even after assurance from the government that the agricultural markets or mandis, where they get Minimum Support Price (MSP) for their produce, will remain.
The protesters are also likely also pay tributes on Sunday to more than 20 people who have died as thousands started camping near Delhi borders since late November.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi yet again defended the new laws.
"Agriculture reforms initiated six months back have started benefitting farmers," he had said.
On Friday, PM Modi had said the opposition parties are using the farmers' protest to win back the lost political ground.
In a big attempt to reach out to the protesting farmers, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar released an 8-page letter on Thursday urging for dialogue to solve the stalemate over the Centre's contentious farm laws.
Earlier this week, the Supreme Court had said farmers protests can continue but stressed on the need to hold talks to resolve the deadlock.
The government has so far conducted several rounds of talks with the farmers.
Thousands of farmers are camped in Delhi-Haryana border for 25 straight days with the sole demand of the repeal of the laws enacted by the central government through an Ordinance amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
One of the Centre's new farm laws will now allow farmers to sell their produce to institutional buyers beyond the regulated wholesale market.
Though the middlemen in the wholesale markets are often accused of usurping the farmers in the earlier agricultural system, the protesters, backed by several opposition parties, fear they will have little bargaining power while selling their produce to institutional buyers, running the risk of getting exploited with the gradual destablising of the mundies.
The several rounds of talks between the union ministers and farmers' representatives went in vain as the peasants were stubborn in their demands while the government was in no mood to repeal the laws.
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