'Tractor march' if talks fail: Farmers

New Delhi: The farmer unions said that they will hold a "tractor march" from Singhu border on December 30 if the Union government does not talk of repealing these laws during their proposed talks on December 29.

The farmer unions held a joint press conference at Singhu border on Saturday and proposed holding talks with the government on December 29 at 11 am.

Rajinder Singh of Kirti Kisan Union said that "if the government does not talk of repealing the new farm laws on December 29, we will hold tractor march from Singhu to Tikri to Shahjahanpur (in Alwar district) with hundreds of tractor-trolleys on December 30." Darshan Pal, President of Krantikari Kisan Union, also said they will organize "tractor march" from the Singhu border on December 30.

"Toll plazas in Punjab and Haryana will remain permanently open. People are invited to come and celebrate their New Year on January 1, 2021, at Singhu border," he said. Addressing the press conference at Singhu border here, Swaraj India president Yogendra Yadav said the government has asked for talks with farmer unions.

"We are making this proposal on the behalf of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha after talking to all organisations that talks between representatives of farmers and the central government should be held on December 29 at 11 am," he said.

"The first two points in our agenda for talks are - modalities to repeal the three farm laws, and mechanism and procedure to bring a law for providing a legal guarantee on MSP," Yadav added.

He said there was "letter diplomacy" and the Central government has written to them to hold talks. "Letter diplomacy is going on. We reply to the letters sent by the central government in about two days and the government replies to our letter within hours. Within a few hours of our last letter, Joint Secretary of Agriculture Ministry wrote to us and proposed talks. So, we have decided to go for talks," he said.

Joint Secretary in Agriculture Ministry Vivek Agarwal had written a letter to farmer unions on December 24 urging them to decide the date and time for the next round of talks.

The farmers have been protesting since last month at Singhu border against Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. They are demanding the repeal of the three laws. The farmer unions have held five rounds of talks with the government and attended a meeting called by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.