Farm laws: 11th round of talks ends inconclusive

New Delhi: The eleventh round of talks between the Central government and the protesting farmers has ended without a resolution to solve the stalemate continuing for nearly two months.

According to sources, the union ministers in the meeting said that there is nothing more the Centre could do regarding the laws whereas the farmer union leaders said that they want nothing short of a repeal of the contentious laws, and a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP).

Notably, no further dates for next meeting were decided in the meeting and the union leaders suggested that further talks will be held most likely after Tractor Parade, to be held on the Republic Day.

While the meeting lasted for almost five hours, the two sides sat face to face for less than 30 minutes. In the very beginning, the farmer leaders informed the government that they have decided to reject the proposal made by the government in the last round of talks on Wednesday, reported news agency PTI.

Farmer leader Shiv Kumar Kakka said there was no headway in the discussions and the government asked unions to deliberate on its proposal again.

The leaders also said that the attitude of the ministers were not right during and was insulting saying that they were made to wait for more than three and half hours.

A special meeting of the Kisan Morcha on Thursday had decided to reject the Centre's proposal to suspend the farm laws for 1.5 years while negotiations continue with a fresh committee.

The government had put forward the proposal yesterday at the 10th round of negotiations with the farmers' unions. After nine rounds of inconclusive talks, it was seen as holding out hope of a breakthrough.

The farmers who had given no immediate reply later said their plans for a big tractor rally on Republic Day had unnerved the government.

The farmers after a meeting at the Singhu border said that they want a full repeal of the three Central farm laws and a fresh law to ensure that they get Minimum Support Price for their produce.

Earlier this month, the farm laws were put on hold for at least two months by the Supreme Court, which named a special committee discusses the issue with all sides in that time.

The farmers, however, did not accept the committee, saying all four of its members are pro-government. One of the members stepped down a day after being named.

As the protest outside the Delhi borders entered its 58th day, the protestors who had been camping at the Delhi border since November 26, said the tractor march will progress as planned.

They have also turned down the police's requests to cancel the rally on Republic Day.

Contending that a protest rally on such a day will embarrass the nation, the government had asked the Supreme Court to put a stop to it. The court, which earlier upheld the farmers' fundamental right to protest, declined, saying the matter should be handled by the police.

Contending that their peaceful movement is becoming a "people's movement", the farmers said on Republic Day, similar protest rallies will be held in many states, including Karnataka, Kerala, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh. In Kolkata, a three-day protest will take place starting January 20.