New Delhi: The government's negotiations with representatives of thousands of protesting farmers hit a roadblock on Friday as the unions squarely rejected the Centre's proposal to put three contentious laws on hold, hardening their stand.
The Agriculture minister blamed external "forces" for their rigid stand and said no resolution is possible when the sanctity of agitation is lost.
Unlike the last 10 rounds of talks, the 11th round saw both the sides hardening their positions and could not even reach a decision on the next date for the meeting. The government asked unions to revert by Saturday in case they agree to the suspension proposal and the talks can continue only thereafter.
This followed a big climbdown made by the Centre in the last round of talks on Wednesday when it offered to suspend the laws for 1-1.5 years and form a joint committee to find solutions, in return for protesting farmers going back to their respective homes from Delhi borders.
Farmer leaders, however, said they would settle for nothing less than a complete repeal of the laws, enacted in September last year, which they find pro-corporate, and a legal guarantee for the procurement of crops at government-fixed MSP (Minimum Support Price).
The unions said they will intensify their agitation now and alleged that the government's approach was not right during the meeting. They also said their tractor rally will go ahead as per the plans on January 26 and unions have told the police that it is the government's responsibility to maintain peace.
While the meeting lasted for almost five hours, the two sides sat face to face for not even half-an-hour. In the very beginning, the farmer leaders informed the government that they have decided to reject the proposal made in the last round of talks on Wednesday.
The three Central ministers, including Agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar, urged the union representatives to reconsider their stand, after which the two sides went for a break that lasted for more than three hours.
The break, during which the farmer leaders had their langar (community kitchen) food, also saw the 41 farmer leaders holding consultations among themselves, at times in smaller groups, while the three Central ministers waited in a separate room at Vigyan Bhawan.
After the meeting, Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan) leader Joginder Singh Ugrahan said the discussions have broken down as the unions rejected the government's proposal.
The ministers told the unions that they have been given all possible options and they must discuss internally the proposal of suspending the laws. Talking to reporters after the meeting, Tomar said the government has always maintained a sensitive approach towards farmers and their interest, but some forces were definitely at works to keep the agitation on and those forces certainly do not want farmers to benefit.
"No resolution is possible when the sanctity of an agitation is lost," he said while adding that no decision can be reached in the interest of the farmers if vested interests get an upper hand.