NEW DELHI: Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Food Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said the media has to explore and find out if there are any forces driving the ongoing farmers protest at various borders of the national capital.
Both the ministers asserted that the Centre has already sent a draft proposal to amend some of the provisions of the two farm laws to farmers unions leaders who now have to decide and give a date for the next round of negotiations.
Meanwhile, farmer unions have rejected the proposal and stuck to their demand of repealing the laws.
In fact, they have announced that they will intensify their protest in the coming days and block all highways leading to Delhi.
When asked if some force was behind the protest, Tomar said: "Media's eyes are sharp and we will leave to it to find out."
"The press has to explore and use your investigation skills to find out," said Goyal while addressing media on the draft proposal sent to the protesting farmers unions.
"We believe that the farmers had certain issues. We respect farmers came and discussed with us. We tried to address the issues that came up during the course of discussion. If there are other issues which are to be discussed or need clarification on the current proposal, we are ready for that. Whether there is any other reason holding them back, we will leave that to your wise counsel," he added.
Both Tomar and Goyal -- are who holding negotiations with farmers leaders to end the deadlock -- asserted that the government's doors are always open for talks.
However, farmer leaders on Thursday insisted that their ongoing protest against the Centre's new farm laws is "apolitical", after photos of protestors at the Tikri Border went viral in which they were seen holding posters demanding the release of writers, intellectuals and rationalists on the Human Rights Day.
Human Rights Day was observed on Thursday.
Addressing a press conference at Singhu border, farmer leaders said that they had refused many political leaders to use their platform.
When asked about supporters of a farmers union at Tikri border demanding release of writers, intellectuals, and rationalists by displaying posters of people like Umar Khalid and Sudha Bharadwaj among others, who had been arrested under several charges, they said, "They were not sure of what went on at Tikri border. The farmers' protest is not a political one."
They said that the incident at the Tikri border may be the farmers' way of observing Human Rights Day.
Thousands of farmers have been staying put at Delhi border points -- Singhu, Tikri, Ghazipur and Chilla (Delhi-Noida) -- for nearly two weeks against the Centre's new farm laws.
In September, former JNU students' leader Khalid was arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act(UAPA) for his alleged role in the February northeast Delhi riots.
Delhi Police had in November filed a supplementary charge sheet in a court here against Khalid and JNU student Sharjeel Imam in a case related to the alleged larger conspiracy in the communal violence.