Won't Repeal Law 'Go to Supreme Court’ says Agriculture Minister

Agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar "clearly said that the laws will not be repealed, he even told to approach the Supreme Court for repeal of the laws," said Sarwan Singh Pandher of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, who attended the meet.

"We urge the youth of Punjab to prepare for a long haul. We will take out a big procession on Republic Day," he added.

He also said that the laws will be discussed with representatives of farmers' organisations from other states. "We will discuss these three laws point-by-point and we are ready to make amendments as necessary after considering the points on which you have objections," the agriculture ministry quoted him as saying.

The two sides took a long break after just an hour of discussions, during which the farmers had langar (community kitchen) food brought in from outside by a van, as they have been doing.

Instead of joining them like the last time, Narendra Singh Tomar, Piyush Goyal and Som Prakash were seen having a separate discussion during the break, which lasted for almost two hours.

The meeting had started with a two-minute silence for the protesting farmers who have died during the agitation, the agriculture ministry said. More than 60 farmers camping at the Delhi border have died; many of them could not survive the extreme weather conditions.

 "One farmer is dying every 16 hours. It is the responsibility of the government to answer," farmer leader Rakesh Tikait has said.

The farmers have been camping at the borders of Delhi since November 26, staying in their converted tractors in the bitter cold. Even the current spell of heavy rains, which has turned their campsite into a sea of mud, has not been able to deter them.

In the last round of meeting on December 30, the Centre said the two sides came to an understanding on two of the four demands of the farmer’s withdrawal of the Electricity Amendment Bill and the penal provisions for stubble burning in the Air Quality Commission Ordinance.

Last month, the Supreme Court had ordered that a special committee be formed, insisting that the Centre's negotiations have failed. "Your negotiation will again fail as they (the farmers) won't agree," said the bench led by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde.

In Punjab, Reliance Jio went to court, seeking government intervention as no arrest was made for the destruction of hundreds of its cellphone towers, allegedly by protesting farmers. Jio owner Mukesh Ambani is seen as one of the major beneficiaries of the farm laws. The farmers have accused the government of working for the benefit of corporates at their expense.

The farmers are adamant that they will not accept anything less than a repeal of the laws. They also want a law that guarantees the Minimum Support Price. The government, which says the laws will benefit farmers by removing middlemen and enable them to sell crops anywhere in the country, has blamed the opposition for the protests, saying they are inciting farmers.