Union Ministers Hold Third Round of Talks with Farmer Unions Amidst Border Standoff
GG News Bureau
Chandigarh, 16th Feb. Three Union ministers engaged in a third round of discussions with protesting farmer unions in Chandigarh on Thursday amidst a standoff between demonstrators and security forces at two points along the Punjab-Haryana border. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann also participated in the meeting held at the Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration in Sector 26.
Representing the Centre, Union Ministers Arjun Munda (Agriculture and Farmer Welfare), Piyush Goyal (Commerce and Industry), and Nityanand Rai (Minister of State for Home Affairs) addressed the farmer unions’ array of demands, notably including a law ensuring a minimum support price (MSP) for crops. The talks extended late into the night.
This marked the third session of negotiations between the two parties, following inconclusive dialogues on February 8 and 12.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha had called for a “Delhi Chalo” movement to pressure the BJP-led Centre into meeting their demands.
Although farmers from Punjab initiated their march towards the national capital on Tuesday, they encountered blockades by security forces at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Delhi and Haryana. The protesting farmers have since established encampments at these border points.
Previously, farmer leaders had declared their intention to withhold further attempts to advance towards Delhi until the ministerial meeting concluded, indicating that their next steps would hinge on the proposals put forth by the Centre.
Meanwhile, farmers staged sit-ins on railway tracks across Punjab in response to the Haryana Police’s actions against “Delhi Chalo” demonstrators. The Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) and the BKU Dakaunda (Dhaner) initiated a “rail roko” campaign to protest the use of tear gas and water cannons by Haryana security personnel.
Concurrently, in accordance with the SKM’s directive, farmers demonstrated at various toll plazas in Punjab, compelling toll authorities to exempt commuters from toll fees.
On Tuesday, clashes erupted between farmers, predominantly from Punjab, and the Haryana Police at two border points, with demonstrators facing tear gas and water cannons as they attempted to breach barricades en route to the national capital.
In addition to legal assurances on MSP, farmers are advocating for the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations, pension provisions for farmers and laborers, agricultural debt forgiveness, resolution of pending police cases, justice for victims of the Lakhimpur Kheri violence, reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, and compensation for families affected by previous agitations in 2020-21.
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