Ninth round of govt-farmers talk underway amid deadlock over farm laws

The talks are taking place days after the Supreme Court paused the laws, setting up a four-member panel to look into the issue.

However, one of the panel members stepped down with an intent of not comprising the farmers' interests.

Bharatiya Kisan Union's national president Bhupinder Singh Mann, who has stepped down, had earlier supported the Narendra Modi government's agricultural reforms.

In a statement, Mann said, "As a farmer myself and a Union leader, in view of the prevailing sentiments and apprehensions amongst farm unions and the public in general, I am ready to sacrifice any position offered or given to me so as not to compromise the interests of Punjab and farmers of the country."

Hours after the Supreme Court on Tuesday put on hold the three contentious farm laws and directed to set up a committee of experts to negotiate, the protesting farmers rejected the apex court's panel to end the ongoing impasse.

While they welcomed the top court's decision to put the three agriculture laws on hold, they rejected the setting up of the committee, which according to them would include members who had favoured the Centre's laws.

Thousands of farmers, who are mostly from Punjab and Haryana, are protesting at the borders of Delhi for 51 days now with one point agenda of the repeal of the laws, which will allow the peasants to sell their agricultural produce beyond the wholesale market.

However, the protesters feel they will be left at the mercy of the corporate players if the wholesale market is destabilized.

Putting pressure on the government, Congress MP and prominent opposition leader, Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said the Centre will be forced to withdraw the laws.