CHANDIGARH/NEW DELHI/LUCKNOW: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said the government was ready to hold talks with the agitating farmers even before December 3 if they vacated the roads and national highways and moved to the Nirankari ground in Burari, north Delhi.
“The government is ready to deliberate on every problem and demand of the farmers,” Shah said in a video message released in the evening. “If farmers’ unions want to hold discussions before December 3, then I want to assure you all that as soon as you shift your protest to the structured place, the government will hold talks to address your concerns the very next day,” he said.
Shah said the government had made all the arrangements for the farmers at the designated ground for their protest, including water, toilet and medical facilities. The farmers turned down Shah’s offer to go to Burari, with BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) president Joginder Singh Ugrahan saying the protest will continue “till our demands are met.” Earlier in the day, the agitating Punjab and Haryana farmers said they were contemplating sealing the borders of the national capital and staying put at the Singhu and Tikri borders of Delhi.
“We might seal the borders of the national capital and stay put at the borders for as long as it takes but it is just a plan. The final decision will be taken by all the leaders in their meetings, which are being held on a regular basis. As of now we are at the Singhu and Tikri borders of Delhi,” a farm leader said. While there was no untoward incident on Saturday, traffic movement on both the national highways continued to be disrupted as the farmers refused to move to Burari.
Farmers from Uttar Pradesh also closed in on Delhi, with hundreds of them reaching the Ghazipur border with their vehicles on Saturday afternoon. In the meantime, the more than 6,000 farmers gathered at the Singhu border with their tractors and trolleys said they were ready for the long haul. They said they had enough food and essentials for the next six months.