oppn parties Farm Dispute: Breaking The Ice

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  • Neha Bora was subsequently released and Dipke is to appear before a magistrate today at noon
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  • The Reserve Bank of India is considering further monetary tightening to counter capital outflows and increase the cost of betting against the rupee, according to bankers and analysts cited by Reuters. The measures follow recent rate increases and steps to drain liquidity as pressure on the currency and inflation concerns persist
  • India directed oil marketing companies to stop diverting sugar-based feedstocks for ethanol production in the 2026–27 supply year, according to a new tender issued on Friday. The companies have invited bids for 11 billion litres of ethanol made from alternatives including corn and broken rice, amid concerns about domestic sugar supplies and prices
  • Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said India's trade imbalance with China was growing sharply and attributed the problem partly to restrictions on Indian goods and services entering the Chinese market. China subsequently said it was ready to work with India to address mutual economic and trade concerns; India's trade deficit with China reached $69 billion in the first half of FY2026–27, up 27% year-on-year
  • Indian equity benchmarks extended their recovery on Friday, with the Sensex rising 413.66 points to close at 74,729.27 and the Nifty 50 gaining 148.80 points to settle at 23,146.15. Information technology shares, including Tech Mahindra, Infosys and TCS, helped lift the indices
  • India defeated Zimbabwe by four wickets in the opening women's T20 International in Raipur, taking a 1–0 lead in the three-match series. Deepti Sharma and Niki Prasad combined in an 82-run stand after India's top order collapsed, helping the hosts chase down Zimbabwe's total of 114 for five
  • Indian wrestler Komal won bronze in the women's 59 kg category at the Under-23 World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas, defeating Kazakhstan's Viktoriia Khusainova 7–2. Fellow Indian Amruta Pujari advanced to the women's 72 kg final after recording two pinfall victories
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  • The Supreme Court of India upheld the Bombay High Court's decision quashing the 2020 write-off of ₹8,415 crore in additional tier-1 bonds issued by Yes Bank (Yes Bank). The court ruled that the bank's administrator lacked the authority to extinguish the bonds under the final reconstruction scheme, strengthening bondholders' claims
  • The Supreme Court issued notices to the Election Commission of India, Delhi Police and opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, in separate petitions concerning electoral-roll revision and protests held in Delhi on October 10–12. The court also directed the preservation of CCTV footage linked to allegations of police excesses
  • The Supreme Court ruled that a person converting from Hinduism to Islam cannot automatically claim backward-class reservation benefits in the new religious community solely on the basis of their previous caste status. The judgment upheld the Madras High Court's decision striking down a 2024 Tamil Nadu government order that permitted such certification for specified communities
  • The Election Commission of India ordered a Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls in 14 states and three Union Territories, using January 1, 2027, as the qualifying date for voter eligibility. The draft rolls are scheduled for publication on November 12, claims and objections will be accepted until December 11, and the final rolls are due on January 4, 2027
Delhi HC refuses to ban CJP's Tiranga rally at Central Park in Connaught Place today /////// Police says will control and regulate it /////// NDMC closes the park for the public on Friday and Saturday
oppn parties
Farm Dispute: Breaking The Ice

By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2020-12-31 03:41:34

About the Author

Sunil Garodia Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator. Author of Cyber Scams in India, Digital Arrest, The Money Trap and The Human Hack

There were four issues on the agenda the farm unions had submitted to the government. The government claims that two of them - excluding farmers from the penal provisions of new ordinance on air quality management in NCR and nearby areas and scrapping of Electricity Amendment Bill, 2020 have been settled with a broad agreement with the unions. Another round of talks has been fixed for January 4. The government has, in the meantime, asked the farmers to scale down the agitation by sending the women and the children back home considering the severity of the weather.

While it is good to go after low hanging fruits to settle a dispute, in this case one thinks that the two major points - repealing the three new laws and providing a legal guarantee for the continuance of MSP - will take some time in resolving because both parties are not willing to concede any ground on the same. While the government has made it clear that there is no question about repealing the laws, the unions have put it as the first point in the agenda. Further, while the government is willing to give in writing that the MSP will continue, the unions want it to be codified.

Still, one can say that the last round of talks were held in a much better way and achieved what the earlier rounds failed to do. Earlier, the unions always said that the government was inflexible and not willing to consider their demands. But this time, they said they have achieved "half victory" and that the government was on the back foot. While they have not suspended the agitation, they have deferred the proposed tractor march from Singhu to Tikri and Shahjahanpur that was to be held today. This is a good sign. 

While the unions are upbeat and think that they will be able to pressurize the government into accepting the two remaining demands on January 4, one thinks that it will not be that easy. This is now becoming a game of give and take and one thinks that since the farmers have now claimed "half victory", they will have to settle for a quasi-legal guarantee on MSP and some amendments to the new farm laws. That would be a just settlement that will protect their interests and usher in much needed reforms in the sector. 

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