Union ministers hold talks with farm leaders; farmers insist on legal cover for MSP

As a group of Union ministers held talks with farmer leaders here on Monday evening to dissuade them from participating in the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march, it was learned that the Center has agreed to withdraw cases against farmers registered during the 2020-21 agitation.

Farmer leaders, however, are insisting on a legal guarantee of minimum support price for crops as one of their main demands, sources said. Ministers including Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal and Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda held a second meeting with farmer leaders at the Mahatma Gandhi National Institute of Public Administration in Sector 26 Round talks.

Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher, among others, attended the meeting, which started around 6:30 pm. The meeting lasted until late at night.

Sources said that during the meeting, the Center delegation agreed to withdraw cases against farmers registered during the 2020-21 agitation against the now repealed farm laws. Union ministers are also believed to have agreed to provide compensation to the families of farmers who died in the last riots.

Sources further said the central ministers also discussed various other demands of farmers during the meeting. A farmer leader who attended the meeting told reporters that their main demands include legal protection for the MSP and debt relief.

Punjab Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, who was present at the meeting, said the state government stands with the farmers. Besides legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP), farmers also demand implementation of Swaminathan Committee recommendations, pension for farmers and farm workers, farm debt waiver, withdrawal of police cases and “justice for Lakhimpur Kheri victims” “Violence, restoration of the Land Acquisition Act 2013, withdrawal from the World Trade Organization, compensation to the families of farmers who died in the last riots, etc.

The SKM (a non-political organization) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha announced that farmers will go to Delhi on Tuesday to urge the Center to accept their demands. Apart from farmer leaders, senior officials including Punjab Chief Secretary Anurag Verma and Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav were also present at the meeting.

Earlier, farmer leaders who were in Chandigarh for talks held a meeting at Amb Sahib in Mohali, Punjab, before heading to the city. The first meeting with Union ministers was held on February 8 and detailed discussions were held with leaders of farmer organizations.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from associated news agency – PTI)