Farmers demand special session of Parliament to repeal farm laws, threaten nationwide protest on December 5

The agitating farmers on Wednesday urged the Union government to convene a special session of the Parliament to repeal the three farm laws, besides threatening to hold a nationwide protest on December 5.

Addressing a press conference at the Delhi-Haryana border in Singhu, Darshan Pal, President of Krantikari Kisan Union, said, "We will celebrate December 3, when the Bhopal gas tragedy took place several decades ago, as anti-corporate day. On December 5, we will protest against the Modi government and the corporate houses and burn their effigies.

It will be a nationwide protest where the farmers will burn the effigies.

He also said that artistes and sportspersons have given the call to return the rewards they have received from the government.

"We thank the people who have announced to return their awards to the government and we are hopeful that those who have got national awards will also return them as a mark of solidarity with the farmers' movement," Pal said.

He also said that the farmer leaders will give a written 7-10 page recommendation on why they want the farm laws to be repealed.

"We demand the government to call a special session of the Parliament to repeal the three farm laws," Pal said.

He further said that during the meeting with the government on Tuesday, it seemed to them that the government tried to divide them and tried to mislead them on the three farm laws. They appeared disillusioned with the Centre's response. "Going by yesterday's meeting, we don't think the government is in a mood to withdraw the laws. The government wants farmers to fight among themselves," one leader said.

On Tuesday, after a first meeting with union ministers since thousands of farmers marched to Delhi last week, a re-pitched proposal by the centre to form a five-member committee to take talks forward was shot down. The farmers told the centre that such efforts had failed in the past and "now is not the time for committees".

The press conference on Wednesday was held after 32 farmers' groups held talks earlier in the day, after the centre asked for written details of "specific issues" related to the Farm Reforms Acts. At the press conference, the farmers pointed out that a "clause-wise" list of objections had been submitted to the centre in October. "But tomorrow, it will be given in writing again," a farmer leader said.

Farmers are camped out at five spots around Delhi, with trailers packed with food, water, medicines and essential goods, underlining their resolve to see this to the end. Thousands more are expected to join; farmers from Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior have set course for Delhi, ANI reported.

The farmers have been sitting on protest for the last seven days at Delhi-Haryana and Delhi-Uttar Pradesh borders. Thousands of farmers have been camping at the Singhu border, while several other groups have blocked the entry at the Delhi-Haryana border in Tikri, the Delhi-UP Ghazipur border and the Delhi-UP Chilla border.

(With inputs from IANS)