A new round of talks were held on Saturday evening between the protesting farmers and the central team led by Chauhan, which discussed various demands of farmers, including legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) on crops.
Union ministers Prahlad Joshi and Piyush Goyal from the Center also attended the meeting.
Talking to the media after the meeting, Chauhan said that the discussion with the farmers took place in a cordial atmosphere.
Chauhan said that during the meeting, the central party placed the farmer welfare program to the farmers, which is the priority of the Narendra Modi government.
After the meeting that lasted for about three hours, the minister said, “We heard the views of farmer leaders Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Saravan Singh Pandher. There was a very good discussion. The discussion will continue and the next meeting will be held in Chandigarh on 19 March. ”
Chauhan, however, did not answer any media questions.
Earlier, Chauhan and Joshi reached the Mahatma Gandhi Public Administration Institute to meet the 28 -member farmer delegation at 6.5 pm.
Punjab cabinet ministers Harpal Singh Cheema, Gurmeet Singh Khudi and Lal Chand Kataruchak were also present in the meeting.
A delegation of farmers including Jagjit Singh Dallawal and Saravan Singh Pandher had already reached the meeting site.
After the meeting, farmer leaders said that they presented facts in support of their demand for legal guarantee for MSP on crops.
Farmer leader Abhimanyu Kohar claimed, “If the policy and intention of the government is clear, then a legal guarantee can be given to the MSP with an estimated expenditure of Rs 25,000-30,000 crore per year.”
Kohar said, “The central team has sought details of the data presented by the farmers for discussion with experts. We will provide them this in a week. ”
Saravan Singh Pandher, coordinator of Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), said, “We shared the benefits of legal guarantee for MSP. This will prevent farmers’ suicides as they will be guaranteed to get the minimum price for their crop. ”
He said, “When farmers and laborers get the right price, the purchasing power in the markets also increases. So we asked in the meeting, what is the loss in giving legal guarantee for the MSP. ”
Pandher said, “He (the central team) did not say that he is not ready to enact a law to give a legal guarantee for the MSP.” He said that more discussion is needed before taking a big decision (on MSP).
Cheema said that farmer leaders presented some figures in support of their demand for legal guarantee for MSP on crops.
He said, “The ministers asked from where they collected the figure. Farmers will share details with the center in a few days. ”
Cheema said that these figures are related to the purchase of crop purchased in the open market and on MSP.
Cheema said, “There were some differences about the figures. According to the central team, the figures shared by the farmers were not matching the official records. He (the central team) has asked about the source of data. ”
The Finance Minister of Punjab said, “We hope that a solution will come out in the next meeting to be held on March 19.”
Asked whether there was any discussion on pulses or other crops, Cheema said only the MSP issue was discussed in the meeting.
Dallawal (70) is on a fast -unto -death on the Khanouri border between Punjab and Haryana from 26 November 2024 to pressurize the demands of agitating farmers at the center.
Under the banner of United Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), farmers are camping at Shambhu and Khanouri border between Punjab and Haryana from February 13 last year, because security forces have given them their various demands to Delhi Did not allow to march till.
Apart from legal guarantee for MSP, farmer demand for loan waiver, pension for farmers and farm laborers, not increasing electricity rates, withdrawing police matters against farmers and justice for 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence victims in Uttar Pradesh Are doing
The restoration of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013 and compensation to the families of farmers killed during the last movement in 2020-21 is also included in their demands.
