Chandigarh: Ahead of the march to Delhi for pressing various demands on February 13, a team of three Union ministers will arrive in Chandigarh today to talk with the farmers.
Union Ministers Piyush Goyal, Nityanand Rai and Arjun Munda are reaching Chandigarh this evening. According to reports, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann is also likely to be present at the meeting scheduled at Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration in Sector 26.
Farmer leaders have already gathered in front of Punjab Bhawan. The team of Union ministers will hold discussions with the farmer leaders in connection with the proposed protest.
All the Kisan Morchas and unions of Punjab had decided to march to Delhi with their demands. The Punjab government had issued a letter to the farmer leaders inviting them to come to Punjab Bhawan from where they will be taken to Sector 26 by bus. The letter stated that a team from the Centre is coming to Chandigarh to discuss the issues of farmers of Punjab.
Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said that a delegation of 10 farmer leaders will attend the meeting with the Union Ministers. He said that discussions will be held on a 10-point charter of demands including a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) as recommended by the Swaminathan Committee.
Along with Punjab, the farmer leaders of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh will also participate at the meeting. "The farmer leaders are going to protest strongly to realise our demands. The government has invited us, so we have come to participate in positive talks. We want our problems to be heard. Earlier, the Chief Minister of Haryana had also offered to talk with us but we had told that our demands have nothing to do with him. We have made complete preparations for our protest. Preparations are on for launching a movement in every village and city. We are fully prepared to march to Delhi on February 13," Pandher.
Haryana AAP president Sushil Gupta has cornered the Manohar Lal Khattar government regarding the farmers' movement. Gupta said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised to enact an MSP guarantee law but till date there has been no mention of MSP in the Parliament. "Since the farmers want to go to Delhi, Khattar government wants to stop them. Also, Haryana Police have issued threats to the farmer leaders," Gupta.
The AAP president alleged that farmer leaders are being threatened with confiscation of property if they join the movement. But farmers need not be afraid as APP stands with them, Gupta added.
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