Protesting farmers stay put in Delhi chill as talks with govt remain deadlocked

New Delhi: Undeterred by the biting cold, firm in their resolve to not return home empty-handed without their demands being met, thousands of farmers dug in their heels at protest venues outside several Delhi gateways, as the New Year dawned with the minimum temperature dipping to 1.1 degrees Celsius.

However, a 57-year-old farmer from Baghpat, who had been camping at UP protest site in Ghaziabad, died on Friday afternoon. Farmers said he had no medical complication but died of severe cold. The deceased, identified as Galtan Singh, was a resident of Bhagwanpur Nagal village of Baghpat district. He, along with his son, had been participating in the ongoing farmers' agitation for over a month at UP Gate.

After the sixth round of negotiations between three Union ministers and a 41-member representative group of thousands of farmers protesting on Delhi borders, Agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar had said at least 50 per cent resolution has been reached with mutual agreement on two out of four items on the agenda and discussions would continue on the remaining two on January 4.

Meanwhile, the Samkyukt Kisan Morcha is likely to meet during the day to discuss its next course of action. There is, however, no question of withdrawing from the two issues which are a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) and repealing of the farm laws, senior farmer leader Gurnam Singh Chaduni has said.

"We want to make it clear that there is no alternative to our two remaining demands which include repeal of the three agriculture laws and legal guarantee for MSP," Chaduni added.

The farmer unions have also stated that if the January 4 meeting with the government fails, they will announce dates for shutting all malls and petrol pumps in Haryana.