PM Narendra Modi Defends Farm Laws In Mann Ki Baat Address; Farmers Reject Amit Shah’s Offer To Talk, Move To Burari Ground

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 29 during his Mann Ki Baat address spoke of the Centre's new farm laws and the advantages they brought, as the country witnessed an unprecedented protest by farmers for the last four days. Demanding that the laws be scrapped, thousands of farmers from several states have been camping in and around Delhi, turning down the government's request to move their protest to a designated spot. PM Modi's remarks drew condemnation from the Congress, which questioned how it would be possible to repeal the farm laws when he is backing them. PM Modi further added that after a lot of deliberation, the Parliament of India gave a legal form to the agricultural reforms. The protesting farmers made it clear that they were not happy. Instead of repealing of three "black laws", the government is doing its best to move the debate to where the farmers should camp, the farmers' organisation said in a press release. Meanwhile, the Punjab farmers rejected Union home minister Amit Shah's proposal for an early discussion on their grievances, conditional to their moving to a designated protest site. They decided not to shift to the Burari ground in the national capital and stay put at the Delhi borders.