Agriculture minister meets Amit Shah ahead of 11th round of talks with farmers

A day before the government's crucial 11th round of talks with protesting farmers, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Thursday night met senior BJP leader and Home Minister Amit Shah, sources said.

The meeting followed a statement from the umbrella body of agitating unions, Sanyukt Kisan Morcha, that it has rejected the government's offer to put on hold the three contentious farm laws for one to 1.5 years and set up a joint committee to reach an amicable solution.

However, some farmer leaders said a final decision is yet to be taken on the proposal and the next course of action will depend on Friday's meeting with the government.

Tomar has been leading the government side in the negotiations along with Railways, Commerce and Food Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Commerce Som Parkash, who is an MP from Punjab.

Protesting farmer unions on Thursday rejected the government's proposal to suspend three farm laws for 18 months, and said they want nothing but a complete repeal of all these contentious legislations.

''In a full general body meeting of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha today, the proposal put forth by the government yesterday, was rejected. A full repeal of three central farm acts and enacting a legislation for remunerative MSP for all farmers were reiterated as the pending demands of the movement,'' the Samkyukt Kisan Morcha said in a statement.

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