Farmers look calmer on Day 3 of protest, Talks between farmer leaders and Union ministers start in Chandigarh

Farmers look calmer on Day 3 of protest, Talks between farmer leaders and Union ministers start in Chandigarh
Chandigarh: Situation at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders on Thursday seemed far more composed as compared to the past two days. Farmers looked calmer as they camped at the Punjab and Haryana border seeking to march towards Delhi to press the Centre to accept their demands.

Except for a few youths, the farmer union members did not move towards the barricades and thus not many tear gas shells were fired from the Haryana police to stop them. Majority of farmers were seen partaking ‘langar’ and enjoying the sun on the roadsides. Also, loud music was being played out in tractor-trolleys. By evening, another round of talks would be held with a panel of three Union ministers amid the ongoing standoff between the agitators and security personnel at the Punjab-Haryana border.

This will be the third round of talks between the two sides: the previous two rounds of dialogue on February 8 and 12 remained inconclusive. The farmer leaders have said they will not make any fresh attempt to move towards the national capital till the meeting is held, asserting that the next course of action will be decided on the basis of the proposals.

A meeting between farmer leaders and Union ministers Arjun Munda, Piyush Goyal and Nityanand Rai will commence shortly here. Farm leaders Jagjit Singh Dallewal, Sarwan Singh Pandher and Jarnail Singh arrived for the meeting at Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration in Sector 26.
The Union ministers are expected to arrive by 5.30 pm. Issuing a statement before the meeting, state president of Bharatiya Kisan Union Ekta (Ugrahan) Joginder Singh Ugrahan said the Central Government should immediately accept and implement the long standing important demands of the farmers.

“Two years have passed since the farmers’ movement and the farmers have already been made to wait for a very long time. Now the argument that laws regarding MSP cannot be made in a hurry is absolutely absurd,” he said.

He said that guaranteeing government procurement above the MSP of all crops, implementing universal public distribution system, eradicating the entire debt of farmers and farm labourers, taking India out of the imperialist world trade organization, and preserving the legacies of the martyrs of Lakhimpur and issues like complete justice to farmers, old age pension to them and fully compensated crop insurance scheme should be resolved immediately.