Rajnath Singh to lead Centre’s talks with agitating farmers; 36 Farmers Union to attend

New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be leading talks with the protesting farmers on Tuesday after the meeting was rescheduled for December 1 instead of December 3 over rising coronavirus cases and the extreme cold weather in north India. On Monday night, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said the government will be holding talks with the protesting farmers on Tuesday at 3 pm, two days before the scheduled meeting on December 3 even as the agitation entered the sixth day on Tuesday.

Apart from Rajnath Singh, Narendra Tomar and a few other ministers will also be attending the meeting with the protesting farmers. Senior officials of the Ministry of Agriculture will also be present at the talks. As the Centre invited them for talks, the farmers` groups called for a meeting on Tuesday morning to take a decision on the Centre`s offer even as they continued with their agitation at Delhi border points against the new farm laws. Thousands of farmers stayed put at various Delhi border points for the sixth consecutive day on Tuesday protesting against the new farm laws, which they fear will dismantle the minimum support price system and corporatise farming.

The meeting has been called at 3 pm on December 1 at Vigyan Bhawan in the national capital, he said, adding that those leaders who were present in the meeting held on November 13 have been invited this time. On Monday, the farmers said that they have come to the national capital for a "decisive battle" and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to listen to their "mann ki baat".