Uttarakhand farmers meet Union Agriculture Minister Tomar, extend support over Farm Laws

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Sunday met a delegation of farmers from Uttarakhand who expressed their support to the Centre over the three Farm Laws, thanking them for their views and support. Minister of State (MoS) for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, Kailash Choudhary and Uttarakhand Education Minister Arvind Pandey were also present during the meeting. This comes hours after Agriculture Minister Tomar and MoS Som Prakash met Union Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss the escalating farmers' agitation. 

"Today farmers from Uttarakhand met me in support of the farm laws. I would like to thank the farmers who understood the laws, expressed their views, and supported it," said Agriculture Minister Tomar.

MoS Kailash Choudhary hoped that the farmers would come with a 'positive outlook' for the next round of talks. "I hope that the farmers come with a positive outlook to the next round of talks. If the farmers move two steps, then the government will also move two steps forward, only then a solution can be reached," he said, adding that the Congress and the opposition were 'misleading people' in the name of politics. 

Read: We Will Sensitize People On How Farm Laws Will Be Beneficial To Farmers: Union Law Min

Read: CM Kejriwal To Observe 1-day Fast To Support Farmers' Protest, Urges AAP Cadre To Follow

Farmers' protest

Rejecting the Centre's proposed amendment to the three Farm Laws, farmer unions have announced that they will 'intensify' protests and kick-start their 'Delhi Chalo' march with their tractors from Rajasthan's Shahjahanpur through the Jaipur-Delhi Highway. They have vowed to block the Delhi-Jaipur highway on December 13 and to observe a hunger strike on December 14. Meanwhile, the Centre has kept the door open, extending an invitation to the farmers for a discussion over the three agrarian laws urging them to continue with the next round of talks.  

The bandh has been called against Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act 2020, passed by the Parliament in September.

Read: 'We Trust Farmers Won't Allow Maoists To Influence Them': Piyush Goyal

Read: Union Min Naqvi Accuses Congress Of 'creating Confusion' Amongst Farmers Amid Discussions

(With Inputs from ANI)