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Farmers bring own food, refuse govt's lunch offer at meeting
The group of 34 farmer union leaders also set up a separate food stall in Vigyan Bhawan-- the government-farmer talks venue -- and most of them sat on the floor to have their lunch.
By
migrator
migrator
New Delhi
Farmers' representatives, participating in the fourth round of talks with the government over their charter of demands, refused to partake of the lunch provided by the Centre, preferring to eat the food brought by their supporters.
The group of 34 farmer union leaders also set up a separate food stall in Vigyan Bhawan-- the government-farmer talks venue -- and most of them sat on the floor to have their lunch.
As the talks broke for lunch after over three hours, the government representatives invited the farmer leaders to have the food arranged by Centre but they declined, signalling they would not take any favour from the government till their demands are met.
During the lunch break, a small van carrying food for around 40 people was seen outside the Vigyan Bhawan, where the meeting is underway.
"Our farmers'' representatives did not accept the lunch offered by the government and we arranged it from the Singhu border," Lok Sangarsh Morcha president Pratibha Shinde told PTI.
Farmers'' leaders told the government to focus on resolving the issues instead of trying to be a good host by offering lunch, she said.
"How can we have lunch offered by the government when our fellow farmers are sitting on roads," said Shinde, whose organisation is among the 40 farmers'' groups engaged in the talks.
The farmers' demand includes framing of a specific law on Minimum Support Price (MSP), and a written assurance on it, ending the punishment provision for stubble burning, repealing three contentious farm laws passed in September during the Monsoon Session of Parliament, and stalling the upcoming Electricity (Amendment) Act, 2020.
(With inputs from PTI)
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