A third round of meeting between Union ministers Piyush Goyal, Arjun Munda and Nityanand Rai and leaders of protesting farmer unions was held in Chandigarh late Thursday evening to discuss the demands of higher minimum crop prices and waiver of loans.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann also attended the meeting.
Earlier, farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher, while talking to the media about the meeting, said “We will attend with a positive mindset. We will again put forward our demands in front of the ministers.”
“We are confident that a solution will emerge as well. After the meeting we will decide the next course of action,” he said, adding “we want Prime Minister Narendra Modi to have a conversation with them (ministers) so that we can reach a solution for our demands. Or else, we should be allowed to protest peacefully in Delhi,” the farmer leader said.
As the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march of the farmers from Punjab against the central government entered its third day, farmers continued their protest on interstate borders between Punjab and Haryana demanding higher minimum crop prices and waiver of loans.
Meanwhile, rail traffic on the Ambala division of the Northern Railway was affected due to the ongoing farmers’ stir.
Protesting farmers from Rajpura in Punjab’s Patiala were sitting on rail tracks and blocking trains at Rajpura Railway Station.
Speaking on the ongoing farmers’ protest and ‘Bharat Bandh’ on February 16, Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait said, “We have spoken about ‘Gramin Bharat Bandh’ – that farmers do not go to their farms tomorrow. This will send a big message tomorrow.This agitation has a new ideology, a new method. Highways will not be shut. But meetings will continue at our meeting points and we will take decisions there. Monthly panchayat will take place in Sisauli on February 17.”
“We do have the demand on MSP but a strategy will have to be built on incidents that are taking place in Punjab and Haryana – we hope for this. We have told not to gather as a crowd for it. As far as the Bandh is concerned, we have urged people to participate voluntarily,” he said.
Meanwhile, Gurnam Singh Charuni, head of Bharatiya Kisan Union, announced that they will not pay toll in Haryana for three hours on Friday, which will be followed by a tractor parade in every Tehsil the next day and a joint meeting of all farmers’ and labour organisations on Saturday.
The decision was taken at a meeting of office-bearers of the Bharatiya Kisan Union called by Charuni earlier today.
“Three decisions were taken today: first is that we will keep Haryana toll free for 3 hours tomorrow, from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.; the day after tomorrow, there will be a tractor parade in every Tehsil, from 12 pm; on February 18, there will be a joint meeting of all farmers’ and labour organisations,” Charuni told reporters.
“Further decisions will be taken in the meeting,” he added.
Charuni has a considerable influence in Haryana; however, he is not a part of the ongoing protests but the farmers’ leader was a part of the protests back in 2020-21.
The farmers have put forth 12 demands before the central government for which they’re marching to Delhi. The protest this time has been called by the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (non-political) and the Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, led by farmer union leaders Jagjeet Singh Dallewal and Sarwan Singh Pandher.
According to the protesting farmers, the Centre promised them better crop prices, after which they ended the 2021 protest. They are demanding to enact a law guaranteeing a minimum support price (MSP) for all crops, in line with the Swaminathan Commission report.
They are also demanding a complete debt waiver and a scheme to provide pensions to farmers and farm labourers.