NEW DELHI, 11 December, 2020, (TON): Virtually ruling out repealing of new farm laws, the government on Thursday asked farmer groups to consider its proposals for amending the acts and said it is open to discussing its offer further whenever the unions want.

Protesters remained defiant and threatened to block railway tracks too in addition to highways. As the issue remained deadlocked with both sides sticking to their respective positions.

A day after protesting farmers rejected the government’s offer for a written assurance on Minimum Support Price (MSP) and amend few provisions in the new farm laws, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said that union leaders must consider the proposals and said he is ready for further discussions with them, but left it to the farmer groups to propose a date for the next round of talks.

At least five rounds of formal talks have taken place between the central government and representatives of thousands of farmers, protesting on various borders of the national capital for about two weeks, but the deadlock has continued with the unions sticking to their main demand for the repeal of the three contentious laws and repeatedly rejecting the Centre’s offer to make some changes in law.

Rejecting the government’s proposal, the farmer unions had on Wednesday said they will intensify their agitation and start blocking all highways linking the national capital as there was nothing new in the offer.

Farmer leaders on Thursday threatened to block railway tracks also if the government does not repeal the three laws, which they claim were aimed at benefitting corporates by weakening the mandi system and the minimum support price (MSP) regime for procurement of farm produce.

The sixth round of talks between the government and farm union leaders, which was scheduled for Wednesday morning, was also cancelled.