Sambhu stir: Ready for talks with Centre if invited, say farm leaders

Farmers protesting at Shambhu border in Patiala district of Punjab on Tuesday said they are ready to restart talks with the Union government over various demands, even though they are yet to get any fresh formal invitation from officials concerned to resolve the ongoing deadlock

Patiala : Farmers protesting at Shambhu border in Patiala district of Punjab on Tuesday said they are ready to restart talks with the Union government over various demands, even though they are yet to get any fresh formal invitation from officials concerned to resolve the ongoing deadlock.

Farmers protesting at Shambhu border in Patiala district of Punjab on Tuesday said they are ready to restart talks with the Union government over various demands, even though they are yet to get any fresh formal invitation from officials concerned to resolve the ongoing deadlock.

Farmers have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri on the Punjab-Haryana border since February 13 after their march to Delhi was stopped by security forces.

The march was led by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) to press the government to accept their demands such as a legal guarantee on minimum support price (MSP) for crops.

“We have always been open for talks with the Centre. We did not run away from table talks. We have not been invited so far, but if invited, we will definitely hold talks,” said Sarwan Singh Pandher, convener of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and president of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC).

The SKM (Non-Political) said it was hopeful of a resolution with a change in leadership in the agriculture ministry. Shivraj Singh Chouhan was recently appointed as the Union agriculture minister under the new Narendra Modi-led government. Earlier, the portfolio was held by Arjun Munda.

“There is a change of guard in the agriculture ministry. Let’s see what they have to offer and if they invite us for talks in the coming days,” SKM (Non-Political) convener Jagjit Singh Dallewal said.

HT reached out to the agriculture ministry for a comment but did not get one immediately.

A farmers’ uprising has gripped the Punjab-Haryana border since February 13, with the cultivators seeking legal guarantees for higher crop prices, relaxation of strict environmental regulations, pensions and withdrawal of police cases filed against them during the 2020-21 farmers’ protests against the now-repealed three agricultural laws.

The farmers tried to ram through dense layers of police barricading and head towards Delhi but were kept at bay by police and security officials, who resorted to tear gas shells, water cannons and baton-charging.

The farmers are being led by two influential groups – the Sanyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Sangh Committee (KMSC) – and have already made two rounds of efforts — on February 13 and 21 — to march towards the national capital, after multiple rounds of talks with the government failed to yield desired results.

The previous round of talks between the Centre and protesting farmers was held on February 8, 12, 15 and 18 but all ended in deadlocks.

On February 18, Union minister Piyush Goyal, minister of state Nityanand Rai and Munda met a group of senior farmer leaders, including Pandher and Dallewal in Chandigarh. The negotiations also included Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann.

At the meeting, the government offered a new mechanism – five-year contracts with cooperative societies to procure pulses, maize and cotton at minimum support prices (MSP). The farm leaders, however, rejected the offer, saying they still stand on their main demand of a legal guarantee of MSP on all 23 crops.

The protesting farmers also demanded that a group of people who allegedly tried to create a ruckus at the protest site on Sunday be arrested.

They alleged that some “miscreants” backed by the BJP hatched a “conspiracy” to defame their ongoing agitation.

Farmers had on Sunday alleged that a group of people tried to create a ruckus and attempted to take over the stage at the protest site.

However, the other group, which included traders from Ambala, denied the charge, saying they had gone there to highlight their losses due to the Ambala-Ludhiana national highway being blocked and request the farmers lift the blockade.

“We have not blocked any road. It is the Haryana Police which has created obstacles on the highway,” said a farmer leader, adding that they have been demanding since day one that the road be cleared so they can move towards Delhi.

Villagers back farmer unions

The farm leaders also claimed that villagers from the nearby areas were completely supporting their agitation.

Addressing a press conference at Shambhu, Giani Balbir Singh, a resident of Shambhu Kalan village, said: “We – residents of nearby villages – have been supporting the farmers since day 1 of the protest. It is the Haryana government that has blocked the highway and not the farmers.”

Jagmeet Singh, 26, a resident of Sandharsi village, said: “We are being defamed by the BJP supporters that we are opposing the farmer protest. This is not true. Only a few BJP supporters, who are residents of Tepla and Rajgarh villages, had raised the objections to the protest.”

When asked about the inconvenience faced by the nearby residents, Pandher said: “We understand the problems faced by residents. We are ready to meet the government to open the road blockade. We are also with them in this demand because Haryana government has blocked the national highway.”