Farmers to resume Delhi Chalo on March 25 if talks remain inconclusive, says Pandher

Addressing the media, the KMM leader said if the Centre doesn’t accept farmers’ demand during the March 19 meeting, 101 farmers will start their march to Delhi

Kisan Mazdoor Morcha coordinator Sarwan Singh Pandher on Monday said that if their demands are not met during the next round of talks with the Centre scheduled for March 19, farmers will resume the Delhi Chalo programme on March 25.

Kisan Mazdoor Morcha coordinator Sarwan Singh Pandher also warned against attempts to acquire farmers’ land forcibly. (Hindustan Times)

Addressing a press conference here, Pandher, who is state head of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC), said, “February 25 programme of Delhi Chalo under the leadership of farmer leaders Manjit Singh Rai and Balwant Singh Behramke was postponed after the Union government fixed the meeting with the farmers. Under this programme, a jatha of 101 farmers was to leave for Delhi. Now this jatha will start the march toward the national capital if the talks on March 19 remain inconclusive and the government does not meet our demands”.

Pandher, who was accompanied by various farmer leaders, also demanded that the Bhagwant Mann-led government of Punjab should pass a resolution in the state assembly in support of charter of 12 demands put forth by the cultivators.

“The state legislative assembly should come in support of Kisan Andolan 2.0 and the resolution should also address the draft new agri-marketing policy which is proposed at the cost of the existing government-controlled mandi system. The state government should send these resolutions to the central government,” he said.

He also appealed to the political parties of Punjab to raise the issues of farmers expressing solidarity with the farmers.

Pandher also warned against attempts to acquire farmers’ land forcibly with the deployment of the police force in the Gurdaspur district under the Bharat Mala Project. He said if the government does not refrain from these actions, the farmers will be forced to open a front against the Punjab government.

Pandher also appealed to different farmer leaders to join the two morchas at Khanauri and Shambhu borders between Punjab and Haryana.

The KMM and SKM (Non-Political) have been stationed at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points since February 13 last year after security forces blocked their march to Delhi to demand a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) and other issues.

The Centre has held two meetings with protesting farmers on February 14 and February 22 in Chandigarh to discuss their demands.

The breakthrough came after a delegation of officials from the Union agriculture ministry, led by joint secretary Priya Ranjan, met veteran farm leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal and held a meeting with the representatives of SKM (Non-Political) and KMM on January 18.

Four rounds of meetings had taken place between the central ministers and protesting farmers on February 8, 12, 15 and 18 last year, but all remained inconclusive. The next meeting is scheduled for March 19.