The national spokesperson of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), Rakesh Tikait, said on Tuesday that a group of farmer leaders will meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday evening. The BKU leader made the announcement amid the ongoing 'Bharat Bandh' call being given by the protesting farmers. It is learnt that Tikait, who represents a group of farmers from Western Uttar Pradesh, received the invite from the government.
The meeting is significant as its being held ahead of the sixth round of government-farmers talks scheduled on December 9 at the Vigyan Bhawan in Central Delhi. Earlier, five rounds of talks remained inconclusive with the two sides sticking to their points. One of the farmers' demands was to meet Shah to resolve their issues.
It is learnt that a particular group of farmers will meet Shah at his residence in 6A, Krishna Menon Marg in central Delhi.
"We have a meeting with the Home Minister at 7 pm today. We are going to Singhu border now and from there we will go to meet the Home Minister," Tikait said.
Tikait is sitting on protest at the Ghazipur border on Delhi-UP route in support of thousands of farmers staging a demonstration against the Central government since November 26, demanding to repeal the three farm laws enacted in September during the Monsoon Session of the Parliament.
After the fourth round of talks between farmers and the government failed the Union government had expressed that they were open to easing the three laws. The Union agricultural minister Narendra Singh Tomar had indicated that the government could consider ways to strengthen mandis, create a level-playing field with proposed private markets. One of the relaxations being considered is the freedom for farmers to approach higher courts for dispute resolutions. These were some of the main concern raised by protesting farmers' groups. The minister had also asserted that procurement at Minimum Support Price (MSP) will continue.
(With IANS Inputs)