NEW DELHI: Farmers’ representatives from Kisan Mazdoor Morcha and the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) met with a Central team led by union minister Pralhad Joshi at the Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration in Chandigarh on Friday to address their demands, which included legal protection for MSP on crops.
The meeting was held cordially and the next round of delegations is scheduled for February 22.
Farmers protested for a year before a two-and-a-half-hour meeting with a 28-member delegation. The two farmers’ organisations have been leading demonstrations at Shambhu and Khanauri on the Punjab-Haryana border throughout this period.
Punjab agriculture minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian, the state’s food and civil supplies minister Lal Chand Kataruchak, and other state government representatives were also present at the meeting.
Union minister Pralhad Joshi stated that union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan would lead the central team in the next meeting, adding that he himself would also participate in the discussions.
“Details about the steps taken by the Narendra Modi government for farmers’ welfare were shared with their leaders in today’s meeting,” he added.
Talking to reporters separately, farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who is on an indefinite fast, too said that the meeting was held in a positive atmosphere and another meeting will be held next week on February 22.
Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) convenor Jagjit Singh Dallewal also said that the meeting was held in a positive manner.
Dallewal has been on an indefinite fast since November 26 and was brought to the meeting venue in an ambulance from the Khanauri protest site.
About Friday’s meeting farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said, “We discussed in detail the issue of legal guarantee to MSP for crops in the meeting.”
Earlier in the day, farmer leader Abhimanyu Kohar emphasised the need for a legal framework ensuring MSP and asserted that such a law would benefit all sections of the country.
Prominent leaders of the farmer delegation are Sarwan Singh Pandher, Abhimanyu Kohar, Kaka Singh Kotra, Sukhjit Singh, PR Pandian, Arun Sinha, Lakhwinder Singh, Jaswinder Longowal, MS Rai, Nand Kumar, Balwant Singh Behramke and Inderjit Singh Kotbudha.
Senior officials from the union agricultural ministry,led by joint secretary Priya Ranjan, invited leaders of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha and the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) on January 18 to hear their demands.
Upon this invitation, Dallewal had agreed to take medical aid but refused to end his fast unto death.
In February 2024, four rounds of discussions were held between central ministers and protesting farmers, but no conclusive agreement was reached.
On February 18 last year, a panel of three Union ministers—Arjun Munda, Piyush Goyal, and Nityanand Rai held talks with farmers’ representatives.
At that time, the farmers had rejected the Centre’s proposal of buying pulses, maize and cotton crops at MSP by government agencies for five years.
During these talks, farmers rejected the Centre’s proposal to purchase pulses, maize, and cotton crops at MSP through government agencies for a period of five years. However, Kisan Mazdoor Morcha leader Pandher said on Thursday that they would continue efforts to push the Centre toward resolving farmers’ issues.
In addition to a legal guarantee for agricultural MSP, the farmers are calling for “justice” for the victims of the Lakhimpur Kheri violence in 2021, a debt waiver, pension for farmers and farm workers, no hike in electricity tariffs and the withdrawal of police cases.
Their demands also include compensation for the families of farmers who lost their lives in a previous agitation in 2020–21 and the reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act 2013.
