Farmers hold fourth round of talks with Central ministers, more unions from Punjab, Haryana back them

The farmers were represented by Sarvan Singh Pandher, coordinator of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), and Jagjit Singh Dallewal, president of BKU Ekta (Sidhupur). Ahead of the meeting, Pandher said they have “high hopes”, adding that “the ball is in the Centre’s court now”.

The day saw hectic activity with farmer leaders of both Haryana and Punjab extending their support to the “Dilli Chalo” protest which began on February 13. Protesters have been camping at the Punjab-Haryana border — at Shambhu and Khanauri border points — since then.

After a meeting of farmer unions and khaps in Kurukshetra, Haryana BKU (Chaduni) chief Gurnam Singh Chaduni said all organisations in Haryana had come together for the “big battle”. He said they would announce a plan of agitation on Monday if the talks between Punjab farmer bodies and the central government failed. “Our agitation will be peaceful,” he said.

“If we have to struggle in Delhi, we will have to organise farmers of Delhi too. For that, we have formed a four-member committee which will hold a meeting with the farmer unions of Delhi to prepare farmers there to extend their support for protests in Delhi. There are several villages in Delhi where agriculture is still taking place,” he said.

The Punjab unit of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), the umbrella unit for the farmers’ agitation in 2020-21, decided to picket the houses of the BJP’s state office-bearers, MPs and MLAs from February 20 to 22, regardless of the outcome of Sunday’s meeting.

The ongoing dharnas at three locations by BKU Ugrahan will be temporarily suspended for a day and resume on February 20. BKU Ugrahan staged a dharna outside the residences of BJP state president Sunil Jakhar in Abohar, Capt Amarinder Singh in Patiala, and Kewal Dhillon in Barnala on Saturday and Sunday.

The farmers also plan to hold dharnas outside the houses of BJP MLA Ashwani Sharma in Pathankot, Union Minister of State Som Parkash in Phagwara, and the party office of Sunny Deol in Gurdaspur, among others.

Raminder Singh Patiala from Kirti Kisan Union, a constituent of the SKM, announced that toll barriers across the state would be made toll-free on the same dates.

On Sunday, Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu also threw his weight behind the farmers’ demands.

The farmers are demanding a law to guarantee minimum support price (MSP) among other issues. On Saturday, KMM leaders had said the government should bring an ordinance to provide MSP guarantee to the farmers. “If the government wants, it can bring an ordinance overnight. If it wants a resolution to the farmers’ protest, then it should bring an ordinance,” Pandher, coordinator of KMM and general secretary of Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, had said.

“When the government wants to bring an ordinance, it does… Why can’t they do it now?” Dallewal had said.

The Union ministers and farmer leaders have held three rounds of talks — on February 8, 12 and 15 – so far. After the third round, the farmer leaders and Union ministers had said the talks were “very positive”.

Mann, who has taken on the role of mediator, is learnt to have told farmers to do their best to resolve the issue instead of dragging it. With his party facing the brunt of the farmers’ anger, Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar cautioned the protesters against being manipulated as a political tool by “so-called mediators”. But he also expressed hope of a breakthrough on Sunday.

Jakhar, who met Munda on Sunday, said the Union ministers were going for the talks with the intention of resolving the issue.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Home Affairs extended the suspension of internet services in Punjab to February 24, and expanded it to 20 police station areas in seven districts.