Delhi govt grants permission to farmers to hold protests at Jantar Mantar on July 22

New Delhi: The Delhi government on Wednesday granted permission to farmers to stage demonstrations at Jantar Mantar demanding scrapping of the Centre’s three controversial farm laws during the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament.

Sources citing the Delhi government said that permission for holding protests has been granted to farmers on condition that they will strictly adhere to the Centre's COVID safety protocols. 

The sources said that the farmers will travel to Jantar Mantar from the Singhu border in buses with police escort. The Monsoon Session of Parliament started on Monday and is scheduled to conclude on August 13.

A day earlier, farmers' unions said they will hold a 'Kisan Parliament' at Jantar Mantar during the Monsoon Session and 200 protesters from the Singhu border will attend it every day from July 22.

After a meeting with Delhi Police officials on Tuesday, a farm union leader said they will hold peaceful demonstrations at Jantar Mantar demanding scrapping of the farm laws and no protester will go to Parliament.

A tractor parade in Delhi on January 26, that was to highlight the demands of farmer unions to repeal three agriculture laws, had dissolved into anarchy on the streets of the national capital as thousands of protesters broke through barriers, fought with the police, overturned vehicles and hoisted a religious flag from the ramparts of the iconic Red Fort.

Thousands of farmers from across the country have been agitating at the Delhi borders against the three farm laws that they claim will do away with the Minimum Support Price system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporations.

Over 10 rounds of talks with the government, which has been projecting the laws at major agricultural reforms, have failed to break the deadlock between the two parties. 

Meanwhile, the union government has once again reiterated that it is open for talks over the three contentious farm laws with the farmers who have been agitating on the borders of Delhi for nearly eight months.

In response to a starred question in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said that so far 11 rounds of talks have been held between the government and farmers` outfits to find a solution. The farmers` organizations never agreed to discussions, but only demanded the repeal of the laws.

Tomar in his written reply said, "Many efforts have been made by the government to end the protests. There were 11 rounds of talks between the government and the farmers to end the deadlock. The government also explained point-wise to the farmers through a letter dated December 9, 2020 that their concerns were being taken care of. We also proposed to form a committee. However, the farmers` bodies never agreed to discuss the laws, they want only repeal."

The Agriculture Minister said that the government was always ready for discussions with the farmers to resolve the issue.