Ministers of the Union and farmers hold a fourth round of talks.
The fourth round of talks between Union ministers and farmer leaders took place in Chandigarh. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Minister of Industry and Commerce Piyush Goyal, Minister of State for the Interior Nityanand Rai, and Minister of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Arjun Munda addressed the meeting, which began at 8:15 pm on Sunday and concluded around 1 am on Monday.
After the meeting, Piyush Goyal outlined the proposal for government agencies to purchase pulses, maize, and cotton crops at Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for five years, with cooperative societies like NCCF and NAFED contracting with farmers for specific crops without quantity limits. Sarwan Singh Pandher, a farmer leader, stated that they would deliberate on the proposal over the next two days and make decisions accordingly.
The ‘Delhi Chalo’ march, which was temporarily halted, is scheduled to resume at 11 am on February 21 if all issues remain unresolved. Prior talks on February 8, 12, and 15 ended inconclusively.
Protesting farmers from Punjab have been stationed at Shambhu and Khanauri points on the state’s border with Haryana since February 13, demanding various reforms, including a legal guarantee of MSP and implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-political) announced plans to encircle the residences of BJP officials in Punjab for three days starting Tuesday, preceding the fourth phase of negotiations. Additionally, they scheduled protests at toll barriers in the state from February 20 to 22.
The farmers advocate for the C-2 plus 50 percent formula for MSP, per the Swaminathan Commission report, urging resolution before the Lok Sabha elections’ Model Code of Conduct takes effect.
In Haryana’s Kurukshetra, Bharatiya Kisan Union (Charuni) chief Gurnam Singh Charuni and ‘khap’ leaders discussed supporting Punjab’s protesting farmers, intending to unite farmer organizations for solidarity protests.
Internet services remain suspended in specific areas in Punjab districts until February 24, as ordered by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs due to ongoing protests. After continuous protests by the Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) at Punjabi toll booths, authorities decided to waive toll charges. The Haryana government extended the ban on bulk text messages and mobile internet until February 19.