New Delhi, December 8: The meeting called by Union Home Minister Amit Shah with farmer leaders concluded late in the night, with the government reiterating its unwillingness to roll back the farm reform laws. The participants of the meeting told reporters that the Centre has agreed to send a proposal before them tomorrow.

The further round of talks will be held based on the government's proposal. Since the proposal would be tabled before them tomorrow, the round of talks that were scheduled tomorrow have been cancelled. Farmers' Protest: 5 Opposition Leaders Including Rahul Gandhi, Sharad Pawar to Meet President Ram Nath Kovind Tomorrow.

"No meeting will be held between farmers and government tomorrow. The minister has said that a proposal will be given to the farmer leaders tomorrow. Farmer leaders will hold a meeting over govt's proposal," said Hannan Mollah, General Secretary, All India Kisan Sabha.

Govt Not Ready to Repeal Farm Reform Laws

The meeting was called by Shah on the day when the protesting agrarian bodies had called a Bharat Bandh to intensify their demand for the revocation of the controversial laws. The agitation which they have been leading in Delhi entered into its 13th day on Tuesday.

Prior to the meeting with Shah, the farmer leaders had held five rounds of deliberations with a panel led by Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar. The talks, however, had remained inconclusive.

The laws that ignited the agrarian stir were passed by the Parliament in September-end. The three Bills provide official framework to contractual farming, remove undue limits on stock and allow farmers to bypass the agriculture produce marketing committees (APMCs) and directly sell their crops to the private players.

The government has so far defended the laws, calling them an essential step towards increasing the farmers' income. The protesters, however, have alleged a ploy to "dilute" the minimum support price (MSP)-based system of procurement, by "dismantling the APMCs".

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 08, 2020 11:30 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).