Leaders of literally millions of Indian farmers were on a daylong hunger strike Dec. 14, the 19th day of their mass protests against cartel-type pricing and purchasing laws just passed. Their colleagues and backers demonstrated all over India to roll back the new farm laws, as Defense Minister Rajnath Singh pledged that the government would never take any “retrograde step” against the agriculture sector.
As farmers from several states in northern India intensified their mass movement, particularly at the road entrances to Delhi, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said the government is engaging with them to decide on the next date of talks, which deadlocked after five rounds. “The meeting will definitely happen. We are engaging with farmers,” Tomar told Press Trust of India.
