Union Minister Pralhad Joshi today met with farmer leaders while leading the central team, where a 28-member delegation from the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha spearheading the farmers' ongoing protest were present.
Addressing a press conference after the meeting, Joshi said that the meeting was cordial, however, agreement could not be reached on points of discussion.
Punjab Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian and the state's Minister for Food and Civil Supplies Lal Chand Kataruchak along with top government officials, including Chief Secretary KAP Sinha and DGP Gaurav Yadav, are also present at the meeting being held at the Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration here.
Union Minister Joshi reached the meeting venue around 5 pm.
Farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who is on an indefinite fast, was brought to the meeting venue from the Khanauri protest site in an ambulance.
Speaking to reporters after reaching the venue, farmer leader Kaka Singh Kotra said it took four hours for Dallewal to reach Chandigarh.
Dallewal, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) convenor, has been on an indefinite hunger strike at the Khanauri border point since November 26 to press the Centre on various demands, including a legal guarantee for MSP on crops.
Another farmer leader Abhimanyu Kohar said the government should frame a law to give a guarantee for MSP. He said the farmer leaders will strongly put forth the demands before the central team in the meeting.
Kohar said the farmers are convinced that a law guaranteeing MSP on crops will benefit every section of the country.
Prominent leaders who are a part 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.
On January 18, a delegation of senior officials from the Union agriculture ministry, led by Joint Secretary Priya Ranjan, invited representatives from the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha for a meeting to discuss their demands.
Dallewal had agreed to take medical aid following the invitation but refused to end his fast unto death.
Four rounds of meetings took place between central ministers and the protesting farmers in February 2024 but the talks remained inconclusive.
A panel of three Union ministers -- Arjun Munda, Piyush Goyal and Nityanand Rai -- held talks with farmers' representatives on February 18 last year. 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.
Kisan Mazdoor Morcha leader Pandher on Thursday said they would make efforts to nudge the Centre towards resolving the farmers' issues.
Farmers, under the banner of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, have been camping at the Shambhu and the Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13 last year after security forces did not allow them to march to Delhi to press for their various demands.
Besides a legal guarantee for crop MSP, the farmers are demanding a debt waiver, pension for farmers and farm labourers, no hike in electricity tariffs, withdrawal of police cases and "justice" for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence.
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