Farmer unions defer decision on Centre’s letter for fresh talks

New Delhi, December 22

Protesting farmer unions on Tuesday said a decision on the central government’s offer for fresh talks has been deferred to Wednesday, even as they remained adamant on the demand to repeal the three farm laws.

Addressing a press conference at Delhi’s Singhu Border, farmer leader Kulwant Singh Sandhu said 32 farmer unions from Punjab held a meeting and discussed the next course of action.

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He said a meeting of farmer leaders from across India would be held on Wednesday where a decision on the government’s talks offer will be taken.

Sandhu said they would also write to Britain MPs, urging them to press their Prime Minister Boris Johnson not to attend India’s Republic Day celebrations on January 26.  Johnson will be the chief guest at the event next month.

In a letter to 40 union leaders, the Joint Secretary in the Union Agriculture Ministry, Vivek Aggarwal, had on Sunday asked protesting farmer leaders to specify their concerns over its earlier proposal of amendments in the laws and choose a convenient date for the next round of talks so that the ongoing agitation could end at the earliest.

The sixth round of talks on December 9 was cancelled following a deadlock with the farmer unions refusing to budge from their demand for repealing the three laws. PTI