Farmers issue to ultimatum to Government

New Delhi: Another farmer has committed suicide during the ongoing farmers' protest. The deceased is identified as Sardar Kashmir Singh hailing from Bilaspur of Chhattisgarh.

Earlier on Saturday, an 18-year-old boy hailing from Chauke village of Bhatinda district in Punjab, died at the protest site at Delhi's Tikri border, reportedly due to heart attack.

So far, at least 50 deaths have been reported from protest sites near Delhi borders including three cases of suicide.

The relentless farmers are continuing their protest for last 38 days braving cold winter and related adversities.

The seventh round of talks will be held between the farm leaders and the government on Monday.

On Saturday, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, delivered an ultimatum to the Government of India and announced that farmers will march into Delhi on 26th January 2021 with their tractors, trolleys and other vehicles.

"We intend to be peaceful and we told long ago to the Government of India during our talks that it has only two options – either repeal the 3 central farm acts or use force on us to evict us. The time has come for decisive action here, and we have chosen 26th January both because the Republic Day represents the supremacy of the people and also because we would have demonstrated patiently and peacefully at Delhi's borders for two full months in extreme weather conditions by then our resolve to get our demands met," said the farmer leaders.

The Morcha announced a nation-wide campaign to counter the government's propaganda. Rallies, conferences and dharnas will be held as part of the campaign.

Though the sixth round of talks between the government and farmers led to positivity and breaking of bread together, it appears that the over month-long deadlock is unlikely to resolve on its seventh round, scheduled for Monday.

The government is hopeful of a thaw with a meeting ground on some of the most contentious issues emerging.

The government may well be ready to offer amendments to the MSP and APMC issues in writing.

As per the government sources, Monday will see a breakthrough after more than six rounds of talks between the two parties have been held.

However, the farmers leaders on Saturday said that their major demands remain unresolved.

"Farmers' leaders made it clear that in the last round of talks with the government, though the government agreed to two minor demands of the farmers' movement -even these are yet to be secured in writing/legal form -the major demands of the protesting farmers remain unresolved,"

"On the demand to repeal the three central farm acts, the government of India had asked the farmers' organisations to come up with 'alternative proposals', and the farmer leaders responded by saying that there is no alternative than repeal," the leaders said.

After the sixth round of talks held earlier this week, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar assured the farmer union leaders that the government is committed to resolving farmers' problems and both sides need to take steps forward to arrive at an amicable solution.

Several Union Minsters had accused the protesters as anti-nationals, Naxalites and as politically instigated.