Chandigarh: Will Central government accept the demands of the farmers? The fifth round of talks between Centre and the farmers' representatives from Punjab is set to take place on Friday, focusing on crucial demands including legal guarantee on Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops and farm loan waiver.
Today's meeting is said to be crucial as farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who has been on a hunger strike for the last 81 days, left for Chandigarh from Khanauri border at 11 AM and would be attending the discussions despite concerns over his health.
The meeting, scheduled to begin at 5:30 PM at the MGSIPA office in Sector 26, Chandigarh, will see participation of 28-member delegation of farmers, including Jagjit Dallewal from the United Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Sarwan Pandher from the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, all of them representing the farmers agitating on the Shambhu and Khanauri borders of Haryana-Punjab. Punjab Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Khudiyan will be attending the meeting on behalf of the state government. Union Minister Pralhad Joshi will lead the central team during today's meeting with the farmers' representatives, sources said.
Meanwhile, Kisan leader Sarwan Pandher warned that farmers will begin their march towards Delhi if government fails to find a solution in the meeting.
Previous Talks And Farmers' Demands
It is pertinent to mention that prior to this, four meetings were held between the Central government and farmer leaders in 2024.
February 8 meeting: The first meeting of farmers with the central government was held on February 8, 2024. Government agreed to fulfill some of the demands, but no consensus was reached on Minimum Support Price (MSP) law for crops. The government decided to continue the meeting further.
February 12 meeting: Farmers held a five-hour meeting with Union ministers in Chandigarh on the issue of legal guarantee of MSP. It was decided that all cases against farmers would be withdrawn and Electricity Amendment Bill 2020 will be withdrawn, but there was still no resolution on MSP. After this, the farmers tried to march towards Delhi.
February 15 meeting: This meeting continued late night till 1 AM. During the meeting, the farmers objected to the use of force and police action in Haryana.
February 18 meeting: The central government proposed to provide MSP for pulses, urad, maize and cotton crops besides paddy and wheat. The government mentioned that the farmers will have to enter into a five-year agreement with the Indian Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation and the Cotton Corporation of India. The meeting continued for five hours, but no agreement was reached as farmers rejected the proposal.
Shubhkaran Shot Dead During Protest
The long-prevailing farmers' agitation has witnessed tragic scenes unfolding during the protests. In February 2024, the Haryana Police resorted to lathi-charge and opened fire on the protesting farmers marching towards Delhi at the Khanauri border. During the firing, 22-year-old Shubhkaran Singh of Balon village in Bathinda district was killed.
When the Centre halted the talks, the farmers decided to march towards Delhi. However, the Haryana government refused to allow them to go to Delhi with tractors. Following this, a delegation of 101 farmers was supposed to visit Delhi. However, the Haryana Police reportedly stopped them by putting up barricades at the Shambhu border. Farmers have since attempted three marches to Delhi on December 6, 8 and 14, but they were stopped by police all three times.
HC Asks To Open Shambhu Border
When Haryana Police erected barricades to stop farmers at the Shambhu border, Ambala traders filed a petition with the High Court. Though the court ordered to open the borders within a week, the Haryana government challenged the order in the Supreme Court, where hearings continued. The Supreme Court has held 10 hearings in this matter. A committee headed by a retired judge was also formed to mediate between the farmers and the government and resolve the matter, but the farmers' agitation has refused to die down.
Dallewal Begins Fast Unto Death
Meanwhile, farmer leader Jagjit Dallewal announced a fast-unto-death protest and transferred all his property in the name of his son, daughter-in-law and grandson. He was detained by the Punjab Police on 26 November 2024, but released later on December 1 after pressure from farmers. Since his release, Dallewal has been on a hunger strike. Despite hearings in the Supreme Court, Dallewal refused to seek medical help, following which the Centre invited him for talks today (February 14). He will soon receive treatment and a doctors' team is continuously monitoring his health, sources said.
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