Dilli Chalo protest Live updates: Centre invites protesting farmers for talks today at 3 pm
By Administrator_India
NEW DELHI: Amid massive protests by farmers on new agriculture laws, the Centre invited protesting farmer unions for talks on Tuesday (December 1) to address their concerns. The farmers protest on Monday entered the fifth consecutive day.
Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said, “When farm laws were brought, they caused some misconception among farmers. We held two rounds of talks with farmer leaders on October 14 and November 13. At that time too we had urged them to not go for agitation and that the government is ready for talks. Keeping in view the cold and COVID-19, we have invited leaders of farmer unions for discussion much before the scheduled December 3 meeting.”
The development came a day after the protesting farmers rejected the Centre’s offer to start talks as soon as they move to Burari and continued to stay put Singhu and Tikri borders of the national capital.
Peaceful sit-ins by farmers, mostly from Punjab and Haryana, continued at the Singhu and Tikri borders with no untoward incident reported after Friday’s violence, while the numbers of protestors swelled at the Ghazipur border.
Delhi Traffic Police issues advisory, says both Singhu and Tikri borders closed for traffic movement.
“Tikri border is closed for any Traffic Movement. Badusarai and Jhatikara Borders are open only for two wheeler traffic. Available Open Borders to Haryana are following Borders Jharoda, Dhansa, Daurala, Kapashera, Rajokri NH 8, Bijwasan/Bajghera, Palam vihar and Dundahera,” the Delhi Traffic Police said on Twitter.
“Singhu Border is still closed from both sides. Please take alternate route. Traffic has been diverted from Mukarba Chowk and GTK road. Traffic is very very heavy. Please avoid outer ring road from signature bridge to Rohini & Vice versa, GTK road, NH 44 and Singhu border,” it said in another tweet.
Along with police force, a team of paramilitary forces also deployed at Delhi-UP Gate border where thousands of protesting farmers have assembled against the farm laws.
There are more than 500 groups of farmers in the country, but the Govt has invited only 32 groups for talks. The rest haven’t been called by the govt. We won’t be going for talks till all groups are called: Sukhvinder S Sabhran, Jt Secy, Punjab Kisan Sangarsh Committee in Delhi
A release issued by the Agriculture Ministry on Monday stated that the leaders and representatives of farmer groups have been invited to attend a high-level meeting on Tuesday around 3 p.m.
The development came a day after the protesting farmers rejected the Centre’s offer to start talks as soon as they move to Burari and continued to stay put Singhu and Tikri borders of the national capital.
The Centre on Nov 30 night invited agitating farmer unions for talks on December 1, two days ahead of a scheduled meeting, as their stir against the new agri-marketing laws appeared to intensify despite a strong defence of the legislation by the government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi who accused the opposition of ‘playing tricks’ on farmers again through misinformation.
