UPDATE - Key Indian Ministers Holding Talks Ahead Of Meeting With Protesting Farmers - Sources

Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published December 01, 2020 | 02:52 PM

India's key ministers have gathered at the residence of the ruling Bhartiya Janta Party chief, Jagat Prakash Nadda, in New Delhi ahead of the meeting with farmers protesting against new laws in the agriculture industry, government sources told Sputnik on Tuesday

NEW DELHI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st December, 2020) India's key ministers have gathered at the residence of the ruling Bhartiya Janta Party chief, Jagat Prakash Nadda, in New Delhi ahead of the meeting with farmers protesting against new laws in the agriculture industry, government sources told Sputnik on Tuesday.

Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Minister of Railways, Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal are present at the meeting, the sources specified.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has entrusted these ministers to meet with the farmers later today, with Rajnath Singh leading the team, the sources added.

Later in the day, government sources told Sputnik that the ministers decided not to pull back the agriculture legislation, adding that the authorities will clear all the farmers' concerns.

The meeting with the leaders of 32 farming organizations will start at 3:00 p.

m. local time (09:30 GMT) in New Delhi.

Last week, thousands of farmers across India marched toward the capital to express their dissatisfaction with the new laws, but police used tear gas and water cannons to push them back. Afterward, the government repeatedly invited the farmers' representatives to hold talks instead of blocking the highways. However, the protesters rejected the offers, saying that all they want is the laws to be scrapped.

Under the new laws, passed by Modi's government in September, farmers are able to sell their wares outside regulated markets and enter into contracts with buyers at a pre-agreed price. The farmers are also allowed to sell their products outside state markets. The agriculture industry, however, fears that the new regulations will lead to the exploitation of farmers by big corporations.