The talks between the Ministerial committee and representatives of the protesting farmers may not take place on Wednesday as scheduled earlier with the meeting of the farmer leaders called by Home Minister Amit Shah Tuesday evening failed to produce any results.
The four-hour-long meeting, held at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research Guest House here, remained inconclusive with both sides sticking to their respective positions. While the government expressed its willingness to make a few amendments to the controversial farm laws, the farmers said nothing short of scrapping of the laws was acceptable to them.
The farmer leaders are unlikely to attend the next round of talks with Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Commerce and Railways Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday as planned last week.
Shah’s invite to the farmers assumed significance as it came on the day farmers across the country observed a successful Bharat bandh, supported by most opposition parties, trade unions, students, women and youth organisations among others.
According to sources, the government has proposed to send possible amendments to the Acts to the farmer leaders by Wednesday even though the latter has clearly indicated that they are not interested in such minor changes. Instead they are for the repeal of the laws. “No meeting as scheduled tomorrow,” the sources said.