Punjab: Ahead of March 26 protest, government invites SKM for talks on Friday
According to the letter of the agriculture department director, which was released to the media by the SKM leaders, the meeting is proposed to be held at the Punjab Bhawan at 4 pm on Friday
Samyukt Kisan Morcha leaders Thursday said they have received a Punjab government invite for a meeting Friday (March 21) with agriculture minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian.
The invitation for the meeting comes ahead of the SKM’s call for taking out a march to the Punjab Vidhan Sabha on March 26.
According to the letter of the agriculture department director, which was released to the media by the SKM leaders, the meeting is proposed to be held at the Punjab Bhawan at 4 pm on Friday. Besides SKM, the Bharti Kisan Union (Ugrahan) has also been invited for the meeting.
The SKM and the BKU (Ugrahan) are not part of the farmers’ protests at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points. These protests were spearheaded by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha.
The talks between the Punjab government and SKM leaders broke down midway on March 3 after CM Bhagwant Mann “walked out of the meeting in a huff” and blamed the farmer unions for turning Punjab into a ‘dharna state’.
A few days ago, the SKM had announced they would gather at the Sector-34 ground in Chandigarh on March 26 and from there march to the Punjab assembly.
On March 5, Punjab Police had thwarted farmers’ attempt to go to Chandigarh on the SKM’s call for a week-long ‘dharna’. Many farmer leaders had then been “detained”.
SKM condemns police action
Condemning the crackdown against the protesting farmers at Shambhu and Khanauri, Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella group of 32 farmer unions, announced two-day protests against the state government starting Friday (March 21).
The decision was taken at the SKM state-level nine-member decision-making committee meeting held here on Thursday.
The committee includes Joginder Singh Ugrahan, Raminder Patiala, Balbi Singh Rajewal and others.
“We strongly condemn the police action against the farmers at Shambhu and Khanauri. We stand united with them and demand immediate release of the detained farm leaders,” Ugrahan said.
SKM on Sunday had announced to gherao the Punjab Assembly on March 26, the day the state budget will be presented, to press for their demands.
