After three rounds of failed talks between farmers and the Centre, a ray of light was seen in the fourth round where the government proposed a plan to buy pulses, maize and cotton crops at minimum support price (MSP) for five years. While the farmers demanded a legal guarantee on MSP, the kisan leaders said they would deliberate on the government’s proposition and and decide the future course of action in the next two days.
A panel of Union ministers participated in the hectic parleys as thousands of protestors camped at the Punjab-Haryana border with a firm intent of entering Delhi to stage a protest over their demands. The initial three-four days of the protest saw clashes with the police including the lobbing of tear gas and the use of water cannons to disperse protestors.
Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Minister Arjun Munda, Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai attended the meeting at the Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration in Sector 26 on Sunday. The meeting was also attended by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. The talks started at 8.15 pm on Sunday and went on till 1 am on Monday.
After the meeting, Goyal told the media that the panel proposed the buying of pulses, maize, and cotton crops by government agencies at minimum support prices for five years. The farmer leaders also said they will hold discussions over the proposal over the next two days becoming making a decision.
“Cooperative societies like the NCCF (National Cooperative Consumers Federation) and NAFED (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India) will enter into a contract with those farmers who grow ‘tur dal’, ‘urad dal’, ‘masoor dal’ or maize for buying their crop at MSP for next five years,” said Goyal.
“There will be no limit on the quantity (purchased) and a portal will be developed for this,” he added, saying that this would save Punjab’s farming, improve the groundwater table, and save the land from getting barren.
On the Government’s proposal, farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said, “We will discuss in our forums on February 19-20 and take the opinion of experts regarding it and accordingly take a decision.” A discussion on loan waivers and other demands is pending and we hope that these will be resolved in the next two days, Pandher said, adding that the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march is currently on hold, but will resume at 11 am on February 21 if all the issues are not resolved.
The earlier round of talks were held on February 8, 12 and 15 but remained inconclusive.
Protesting farmers have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri points on the state’s border since February 13 when their ‘Delhi Chalo’ march began. The call for the same was given by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha to press their demands.
Apart from the legal guarantee on MSP, the farmers have also demanded the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations, pension for farmers and farm labourers, farm debt waiver, no hike in electricity tariff, withdrawal of police cases and justice for victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence, reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, and compensation to the families of the farmers who died during a previous agitation in 2020-21.
Ahead of the fourth round of talks, the SKM announced that it will gherao the residences of BJP leaders in Punjab for three days from Tuesday to press the Centre into accepting their demands.
“The government should find a solution to our demands before the Model Code of Conduct comes into force,” farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal said.
In Haryana’s Kurukshetra, Bharatiya Kisan Union (Charuni) chief Gurnam Singh Charuni and some ‘khaps’ took part in a panchayat to chalk out a course of action to support the protesting farmers from Punjab.
Charuni told reporters after the meeting that it was decided to unite all farmer organisations to hold a protest in support of the agitation.
Charuni said a good chunk of the rural belt is part of the National Capital Region (NCR) and a four-member committee has been formed to connect with farmers from Delhi.