Farmer protest: Punjab CM claims breakthrough in talks but Delhi march still on

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann

Union Ministers Piyush Goyal, Nityanand Rai, and Arjun Munda held a meeting with farmer leaders in Chandigarh on Thursday in connection with the ongoing protest to push for a host of demands. A number of farmer bodies have called for a march towards Delhi on February 13, stating that their long-standing demands have not been met by the Centre.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who was also present in the meeting, informed that an agreement was reached on multiple issues and was hopeful that another meeting will be held soon. "An agreement was reached over a lot of demands. These included the withdrawal of cases filed against farmers during an earlier agitation. There is scope for another meeting as well. Farmer organisations, too, said that they would hold discussions with each other," the Punjab Chief Minister told reporters in Chandigarh.

Sarwan Singh Pandher, the general secretary, Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee who was also a part of the meeting, said a total of 10 new demands were put forward during the meeting with the Union Ministers. However, despite the progress in talks, the farmer leader said the scheduled march to the national capital was still on.

"Each farmer leader spoke on facts as they put forward all our 10 demands. The ministers said that the government would deliberate on our demands and revert. We will learn more about what the government decides in the time to come. As far as our march to Delhi on February 13 is concerned, it will continue as scheduled. The government said it wants to continue the dialogue. We said our doors are always open," Pandher told ANI.

Meanwhile, another farmer leader Gurnam Singh Charuni, who is also the founder of the 'Sanyukt Sangharsh Party', said those participating in the protests did not hold prior consultations with him. "I did not receive any invitation (to join the protest) and neither did anyone seek any advice or suggestion from me. The participating farmers did not even hold prior consultations with the SKM (Samyukt Kisan Morcha) or me. A few of the organisations took this decision on their own. The SKM has already issued a statement that its members won't participate in the protest. This isn't the right way to go about it," Charuni told ANI.

Earlier, farmers demanding developed plots from the government in the city and in Greater Noida scaled up their protest and marched towards the Parliament on Thursday. The farmers marched from the Delhi-Noida Chilla border over various demands, including a hike in compensation. Under the banners of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha and Akhil Bhartiya Kisan Sabha, the farmers gathered outside the NTCP office in Noida Sector 24 and the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority's office, demanding 10 per cent of abadi land. The farmers demanded that 10 per cent of abadi plots or their equivalent compensation be given to them in lieu of land acquired from them for development projects.

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