During the lunch break at Vigyan Bhawan on Wednesday at 2.30 p.m., two hours after the sixth round meeting, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and Union Minister of State Som Prakash reached out to the farm leaders when they were getting ready to eat the ‘langar’ meal.
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Since the last two meetings, the farmer leaders have been eating the langar meal instead of the food being provided by the government during the meal breaks.
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Agriculture Minister Tomar, addressing a farmer leader, said: “O Paa ji … you are eating alone?”
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Responding to this, the farmer leader said: “No… no Sir… let’s arrange some meal plates for you.”
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Soon, the three ministers of the Narendra Modi government also took a plate in their hands and started queuing up to eat the langar meal.
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According to sources, the government sources understood the pragmatic atmosphere mainly during the lunch break.
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What could not be seen happening during the presentation of the officers in the meeting of Vigyan Bhawan happened during a casual conversation between the ministers and the farmer leaders.
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Ministers Eating lunch with the farmers and then later having tea break together also sent out a positive message among the farmer leaders.
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Tomar also agreed to continue the power subsidy, along with withdrawal of provisions for action against farmers for burning stubble in the ordinance brought to prevent air pollution in Delhi-NCR during lunch and tea break.
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At the same time, he tried to find a middle path by asking the farmer leaders to form a committee on MSP and all three agricultural laws.
 
According to sources, this softening in the attitude of the government was appreciated by the farmer leaders due to which the representatives after resolving the issues related to stubble and electricity, willingly approved to attend the meeting on January 4 on Agriculture Law and MSP.
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Post meeting Farmer leader Shivkumar Kakka told media : “A total of four issues were taken up in today’s meeting, out of which the government has agreed to two demands from farmers. Now agriculture laws and MSP are to be discussed further.”
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Rakesh Tikait, national spokesperson of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), told media that the conversation took place in a positive environment.
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Harpal Singh Bellary of the BKU told media : “The government has agreed to issue the order, agreeing on two issues related to electricity and stubble.
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The repeal of the three laws and the guarantee of the MSP could not be done yet. Now, these two issues will be discussed in the January 4 meeting. “