Meeting between Union ministers, farmer leaders ends; discussion 'positive', says Munda

Barricades put up at Ghazipur border in view of farmers` protest march. Pic/PTI

A marathon meeting between three Union ministers and leaders of protesting farmer unions concluded without a resolution here late Thursday with Union Minister Arjun Munda asserting that the discussion was "positive' and another round of talks would be held on Sunday. The farmer leaders said they will continue to stay put at the two border points between Punjab and Haryana.

Union Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Minister Munda, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai represented the Centre at the meeting over the farmer unions' various demands, including a law guaranteeing a minimum support price (MSP) for crops.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann also joined the meeting at the Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration in Sector 26. The meeting started at around 8:45 pm on Thursday and lasted for around five hours. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Munda said the talks took place in a 'good atmosphere' and there was 'positive discussion'.

The talks will continue and another meeting will take place at 6 pm on Sunday, he said, adding that a solution will be found by sitting together. Mann said a detailed discussion between farmer leaders and the government took place. "On each topic, a detailed discussion took place and a consensus was reached on several issues," he said.

This was the third round of talks between the two sides. The two previous rounds of dialogue on February 8 and 12 remained inconclusive. Mann said he raised the issue of suspension of internet services at select areas in Sangrur, Patiala and Fatehgarh Sahib with the Centre. He said that he also brought to the attention of the Union ministers the use of a drone by Haryana Police to tear gas shells on the protesters inside Punjab.

He said he got an assurance from the Centre that it would speak to the Haryana government and ask it to maintain peace at the Punjab and Haryana borders. Among the farmer leaders who took part in the meeting were SKM (Non-Political) leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher.

Speaking to reporters, Pandher said a detailed discussion on their demands, including a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price and debt waiver, took place. "They (Union ministers) said they need time," said Pandher. "We want that there should be a positive result and any confrontation should be avoided. Otherwise, our plan to march to Delhi will go ahead," he added.

To a question on whether farmers will stay put at the Punjab-Haryana borders, Pandher said, 'Yes.' The farmer leaders also took an exception to the alleged suspension of the social media accounts of several leaders. 'They (ministers) have assured that all such social media accounts will be restored,' said farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal.

Pandher said they also raised the issue of tear gas shelling by the paramilitary force on farmers at the Shambhu and Khanuri borders. He said the shells were shown to the ministers during the meeting. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha have given a "Delhi Chalo" call to press the BJP-led Centre to accept their demands.

Farmers from Punjab began their march to the national capital on Tuesday but were stopped by security personnel at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana. The protesting farmers have been camping at the border points. Earlier, the farmer leaders had said they would not make any fresh attempt to move towards Delhi till the meeting with the ministers was held, asserting that the next course of action would be decided based on the Centre's proposals.

Separately, farmers squatted on railway tracks at many places in Punjab over the Haryana Police's action against the "Delhi Chalo" protesters. The Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) and the BKU Dakaunda (Dhaner) gave the "rail roko" call. The decision was taken in protest against the use of tear-gas shells and water cannons against the protesting farmers by the Haryana security personnel at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points.

Meanwhile, on the call of the SKM, farmers also staged demonstrations at several toll plazas in Punjab to protest against the Haryana Police's action. They also forced the toll authorities to let go of commuters without charging them a toll fee. On Tuesday, farmers, mainly from Punjab, had clashed with the Haryana Police at two border points between the states, facing tear gas and water cannons as they tried to break the barricades blocking their march to the national capital.

Besides a legal guarantee on MSP, the farmers are demanding the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission's recommendations, pension for farmers and farm labourers, farm debt waiver, withdrawal of police cases and "justice" for the victims of the Lakhimpur Kheri violence, reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013 and compensation for the families of the farmers who died during a previous agitation in 2020-21.

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