After almost 5 hours of talks between union ministers and farmers leaders on Thursday evening, both agreed to meet again on February 18 to find a solution to the set demands and the farmers confirmed that they will not try to travel to Delhi before next. Round Farmers demanded the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendation to set minimum support prices (MSP) at 50% higher than the C2 cost of production and a law guaranteeing purchase of the crop at MSP. Other demands include unconditional pensions for farmers over 60 and farmers should be completely debt free.
Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda, Commerce and Food Minister Piyush Goyal and Finance Minister in talks with farmers. Kodu Nityanand Rai represented the Center while Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was also present. Peasant unions were represented by Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) leaders Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Shiv Kumar Kakka and Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher, among others.
Later, Mann said that of several issues both the Center and the peasant leaders reached an agreement, because the discussions took place in a positive environment.
A peasant leader present at the same meeting said that the government does not seem serious about the three main issues – the legal one. guarantee Addition of MSP to form C2 and debt waiver. He said that Goyal spent about 30 minutes explaining what steps the government had taken in the agriculture sector in the last nine years and what was already known.
The government confirmed that the remaining cases of the farmers were registered during 2020. The year 2021. The farmers’ agitation will be cancelled, although many cases have already been cancelled, said the farmers’ leader. He also said that the government is committed to keeping farmers out of the scope of the Electricity (Amendment) Act. “If all these measures were good enough, farmers would not come to protest. First, the basic problem of the right price of our products should be solved,” said the manager. He also opined that the government is buying time to commit to everything and can’t wait for the election schedule to be announced and when it comes, it will show their impotence by quoting the model code of conduct.
Some farmers in Punjab, however, leaders said they hoped the announcement would provide a legal guarantee. of what they see as a political move to bring the BJP closer to joining the Akali Dal. Two trade unions in Punjab – Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) and BKU Dakaunda (Dhaner), which are not part of the current Delhi March protest, on Thursday started the state railway crackdown on Haryana Police firing on farmers protesting at Haryana-Punjab border posts.
Furthermore, several farmers and unions are observing the SKM. ‘Bharat Bandh’ on Friday to pressurize the government to accept the legal guarantee of MSP, many other farmers like Bharti Kisan Union (Rajewal), Bharatiya Kisan Union (Dakunda, Bharatiya Kisan Union Lakhowal participating in the Bandh), Bharatiya Kisan Union Union (Kadian) and Kirti Kisan Union.
