The eight round of talks between the protesting farmers and the Centre yet again ended on Friday in a deadlock, sources said. The next meeting is likely to be held on January 15.

The farmers stuck to their key demands of repealing the agri laws as the only way to end protests, saying their “ghar wapsi” will happen only after “law wapsi”.

However the Centre insisted talks must be limited to contentious clauses and ruled out a complete withdrawal of Acts.

Not much discussions could take place on Friday as both the sides refused to bow down to each other, sources said.

The next date has been decided after keeping in mind a scheduled hearing of the Supreme Court on January 11. The government sources said the apex court may look into the legality of the three laws, besides other issues related to farmers' protests.

At the outset, Tomar appealed to unions for discussions on the laws, while farm leaders reiterated their demand that the new Acts must be withdrawn, sources said, adding that the agriculture minister stressed on protecting the farmers’ interest of the entire country.

“Our ‘ghar wapsi’ (return to home) can happen only if you do ‘law wapsi’ (repeal of laws),” a farmer leader said at the meeting.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting that lasted for little over two hours, Tomar said the government is still hopeful that union leaders will come with alternatives to discuss in the next round of talks on January 15.

Union ministers (from left to right) Piyush Goyal, Narendra Singh Tomar and Som Prakash, during the meeting with protesting farmers' unions, at the Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, on Friday. PTI

But, he virtually ruled out repeal of the laws saying many other groups across the country are supporting these reforms.

On whether the government made a proposal to farmers to join a pending case in Supreme Court on issues related to farmers' protest, Tomar said the government did not make any such suggestion but it is always committed to follow whatever is decided by the Supreme Court.

Asked whether the government would consider any proposal for allowing states to decide whether to implement the laws or not, Tomar said no such proposal was made by any farmer leader in this regard, but if such a suggestion is made the government will take a call at that time.

After the meeting, union leader Joginder Singh Ugrahan said the meeting was inconclusive and it was unlikely that any resolution could happen in the next round of talks as well.

“We do not want anything less than the repeal of laws,” he said.

“Government is testing our strength, but we will not bow down. It seems we will have to spend Lohri and Baisakhi festivals here at protest sides,” he said.

Another union leader Hannan Mollah said farmers are ready to fight till death and going to court was not an option.

He said the farmer unions will meet on January 11 to decide their next course of action.

Jai Kisan Andolan union leader Ravinder Kaur was seen crying after the meeting and said many mothers have lost their sons and many daughters have lost their fathers.

At the eighth round of negotiations with the 41-member representative group of protesting farmers, the government asserted the farm reform laws have been welcomed by a large section of farmers in various states and asked the unions to think about the interests of the entire country.

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Railways, Commerce and Food Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Commerce Som Parkash, who is an MP from Punjab, held talks with unions at Vigyan Bhawan in the heart of the national capital.

“Ideally, the Centre should not interfere in agriculture matters as various Supreme Court orders have declared farming as a state subject. It seems you (the government) do not want to resolve the issue as talks have been happening for so many days. In that case, please give us a clear answer and we will go. Why to waste everyone's time,” a leader said during the meeting.

All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC) member Kavitha Kuruganti, who was also present in the meeting, said the government has told unions that it can not and will not repeal these laws.

Around one hour after the meeting, the three ministers stepped out of the discussion hall for their own internal consultations, after union leaders decided to observe silence while holding out papers with slogans including ‘Jeetenge ya Marenge’ (We will either win or die).

The union leaders, however, refused to take a lunch break and stayed put in the meeting room, a source said.

Earlier during the day, Union Minister of State for Agriculture Kailash Choudhury expressed hopes that a resolution will be reached after Friday’s meeting.

“I am hopeful that a resolution will be reached at Friday's meeting. We could have ended the deadlock by now had the protesting farmer unions discussed the issues raised at the first meeting,” he told PTI.

Choudhury said during the first round of talks, there was no demand for repeal of the three laws.

Just before the meeting, Kuruganti said: “If no solution arrived in today's meeting, we will continue with our plan of tractor rally on January 26.”

“Our main demand is repeal of the laws. We will not accept any amendments. Government is taking it as a prestige issue and not taking back the laws. But this is a life and death question for all farmers. There has been no change in our stand since beginning,” she added.

The agitating farmers took out tractor rallies on Thursday to press their demand for a rollback of the laws, while the Centre asserted that it was ready to consider any proposal other than a repeal of the legislations.

The government had sent a draft proposal to the protesting farmer unions last month, suggesting seven-eight amendments to the new laws and a written assurance on the MSP procurement system.