Talks with farmers end on a positive, if not productive note

A three-member central government delegation led by union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan held a second round of discussions with protesting farmer unions in Chandigarh on Saturday night, 22 February.

The meeting, which lasted nearly three hours, was conducted in a positive and cordial atmosphere.

The farmers' delegation of 28 members — including senior leaders Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Sarwan Singh Pandher — presented their demands, including for a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) payable to farmers on all crops.

On the other side, Punjab cabinet ministers Harpal Singh Cheema, Gurmeet Singh Khudian and Lal Chand Kataruchak were present for the meeting.

Despite the constructive dialogue, no definitive resolution was reached, and both parties agreed to reconvene for further discussions on 19 March in Chandigarh.

Besides Chouhan, two other central ministers, commerce and industry Piyush Goyal and Union minister for consumer affairs Pralhad Joshi, along with a delegation of the Punjab government, comprising three ministers, held parleys with 28 representatives of the two farmer forums, over their long-pending demands, including a legal guarantee on the minimum support price (MSP) for crops.

Addressing the farmers, Chouhan said the “government is committed to the welfare of them and that the government has been making regular necessary policy interventions to address issues being faced by the farmers”.

“The Narendra Modi-led government is committed to the welfare of the farmers. We listened to the views of Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Sarwan Singh Pandher. We had a good discussion,” Chouhan said, adding, “The discussions will continue and the next meeting will be held on 19 March.”

However, farmer leaders reiterated their demand before the government and it has sought reports and data they cited, which the farmer leaders have agreed to provide to the government. The government assured that it will study the reports and data, based on which discussions will be taken forward.

Addressing the media after the meeting, Chouhan announced that the talks between the government and the farmers will continue to be held with a positive approach and in a cordial manner. The next meeting is expected to be on 19 March.

Farmers' unions — the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha — have been camping at Shambhu and Khanauri, the border points between Punjab and Haryana, since 13 February 2024, pitching their tents there after security forces didn’t allow them to march to Delhi to press their demands.

Earlier, on 14 February, a meeting between a central team led by Union minister Pralhad Joshi and farmers’ representatives was held in Chandigarh, with both sides claiming that it was held in a cordial atmosphere. That signalled the resumption of talks after almost a year of deadlock.

In that meeting, farmer leaders presented 10 demands, including a legal guarantee for MSP, implementation of the Swaminathan Commission Report, debt waiver for farmers and farm workers, a pension scheme for farmers and labourers, cancellation of cases registered against farmers during the 2020–21 protests, and compensation and job to kin of farmers who had died during the protests.

Fasting leader Dallewal reached the meeting venue in an ambulance from the Khanauri border.

A day earlier, farmers held a show of strength to mark the death anniversary of farm activist Shubhkaran Singh, who had died of bullet injuries when farmers who were marching towards Delhi were stopped by the Haryana Police at the Khanauri border.

The Haryana Police had denied that the man died by one of their bullets. However, the Punjab Police had registered a zero FIR to look into the death.

With IANS inputs