Will Shut Malls, Petrol Pumps if Demands Not Accepted, Say Farmers

Following the sixth round of discussions, farmer groups alleged that only 5 percent of their demands had been met.

Farmers protesting on the peripheries of the national capital on Friday, 1 January, warned of shutting all malls and petrol pumps in the state of Haryana, if the government failed to accept their two lasting demands – a complete roll back of the three farm laws and a legal guarantee for MSP – ahead of the next round of talks with the Centre on 4 January.

According to The Indian Express, while the farmers and the Centre had met for a sixth round of talks on 30 December, they could only come to a consensus on issues like power tariffs and waiving of the penalty for stubble burning.

However, the two cardinal demands raised by farmers on MSP and the three farm laws had remained unresolved. 

What the Farmers Said

In a press conference held at the Singhu border on Saturday, a collection of over 40 farmer groups alleged that only about five percent of their demands had been met so far.

Swaraj India Chief Yogendra Yadav said that if the farmers’ twin demands are not met on 4 January, then farmers would intensity their agitation, reported NDTV.

If nothing comes out of the January 4 meeting, then we will take out a tractor rally on the GT-Karnal road on January 6 ... we will start marching towards Delhi from Shahjahanpur border next week.”

Yogendra Yadav to NDTV.

Moreover, the All Indian Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee, in a statement said that farmers would settle for nothing less than the withdrawal of the three farm laws as they cede “agriculture markets, farming processes, farmers land and food security to the corporates.”

(With inputs from The Indian Express and NDTV.)