After rejecting the government’s proposal yesterday, the protesting ‘farmer leaders’ have stated that they had given an ultimatum to the government to accept all their demands by December 10 and since the government has failed to accept, they would be blocking the railway tracks next.
https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1337003061789724672?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwFarmer leader Boota Singh today threatened to block railway tracks, citing that government’s refusal to cede to their demands. He said that the decision was taken in a meeting today. Sanyukt Kisan Manch will be announcing the date for the same. The protesting farmers’ unions have announced that they would be intensifying the protests from December 14.
Farmer leaders had refused to participate in talks yesterday
Five rounds of talks have been held so far between the central government and the farmer leaders but the deadlock remains. The central government had sent a written proposal to farmer leaders after they refused to take part in the 6th round of talks that were to take place yesterday. The farmer leaders had said that the would decide further course of action after reading the government proposal. However, it was made clear by them they would accept a proposal only if it promises the total repealing of the new farm laws.
However, the government has made it clear that the new laws will not be repealed. It is notable here that the laws were meant to end the monopoly of APMCs and middlemen, something even the opposition has been promising in their election manifestos. But after the laws were passed, some farmer unions, particularly from Punjab, have been protesting against it.
The so-called farmer agitation is already being used by Khalistani separatist groups to propagate their agenda internationally by turning it into a Sikh Vs Hindu narrative. Lately, the ‘farmer protestors’ were also seen peddling the ultra-left’s agenda of getting Urban-Naxals released from jails.