Indian farmers threaten to block railway tracks

As the ongoing Indian farmers’ protest entered day 15, agitating farmers on Thursday threatened to intensify protest by blocking railway tracks. Farmer leader Boota Singh at Singhu border said: “We will block railway tracks if our demands are not met, will announce a date soon,” reports The Indian Express.

Earlier today, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar urged union leaders to consider the proposals and said he is ready for further discussions with them. “The government is ready to consider with an open mind any provision in the new laws where farmers have any issues and we want to clarify all their apprehensions,” Tomar said at a press conference.

A 20-page proposal offered by the Centre was rejected by farmer unions on Wednesday for being “vague”. Farmers, who are steadfast in their demand that the three farm laws be repealed, said any further talks with the government would be based on the proposals they receive.

On December 14, farmers said the residences of BJP leaders, ministers and offices would be gheraoed, and dharnas would take place at district headquarters across the country. In the southern states, the protests would continue indefinitely.

In its proposal, the Centre had offered significant concessions including a written assurance on continuation of minimum support price (MSP)-based procurement and ensuring parity in transactions inside and outside existing Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) mandis. The proposal had been sent a day after 13 farmer leaders met Union Home Minister Amit Shah.