Protest enters 46th day; Farmer leaders devise strategy ahead of Jan 15 talks

New Delhi: As farmer's protest entered 46th day, leaders of different farmer organisations on Sunday discussed their strategy to intensify their protest further and other related issues as the next round of talks with the Centre is fixed for January 15

According to an IANS report, Punjab's farmer leader Sukhpal Singh told that the decision of farmer leaders on the agitation was considered at a Sanyukt Kisan Morcha meeting in the afternoon.

Sukhpal Singh, who was present at the 8th round of talks with the central government as a representative of sugarcane farmers from Hoshiarpur in Punjab, said that farmer leaders also deliberated on the pleas regarding farmers' protest that would come up for hearing in the Supreme Court in the coming days.

"We are discussing among ourselves the next round of talks with the Centre." reacted Harinder Singh, General Secretary of Bharatiya Kisan Union (Lakhowal)

He asserted that the protest will continue till the government did not repeal the three farm laws and gave MSP guarantee for crops through a law.

"Various issues, including the strategy to intensify the agitation, are getting discussed, though our primary focus is on the preparations for the proposed January 26 protest in Delhi."

Farmer organisations have warned that if their two demands are not accepted by the Centre before January 26, they would hold a 'Kisan Parade' on tractors on the Republic Day in New Delhi. Many other key agitation programmes have already been announced by the farmer unions.

Earlier on Sunday, protesting farmers vandalised the venue of a 'kisan mahapanchayat' programme at Hariyan's Kaimla village where Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar was to address people to highlight the "benefits" of the Centre's three agriculture laws.

The Haryana Police used water cannons and lobbed teargas shells to prevent the farmers from marching towards the village.

Reacting to the incident, Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda said the government should avoid confrontation with the protesting farmers.

"Farmers have certain apprehensions over the new farm Acts, the government should rather repeal these Acts as desired by the peasantry and avoid confrontation with them by holding functions like the mahapanchayat," he said.

The former CM reiterated his demand of convening an emergent session of the state assembly.

(With inputs from agencies)