The ‘Delhi Chalo’ march has been placed on’standby,’ according to the farmer leaders, as the central government has proposed the Minimum Support Price (MSP) during the fourth round of negotiations. The farmer leaders announced that on February 21, the march will recommence “peacefully” and that they will hold talks regarding the government’s MSP proposal.
“So we will review this proposal with all our colleagues, some agricultural experts and other legal experts and then we will be able to decide what to do about it. So today we will go and have a similar discussion with our colleagues. As far as our decision to go to Delhi was concerned, it is on standby right now, we have said that today it is the 19th and on the 21st at 11 am, we will move forward peacefully,” Sarwan Singh Pandher, general secretary, of Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee said.
“In the meantime, we would like to make every effort from our side to put our point before the Centre today, its medium can be anything, then in these two days, yesterday the minister also said that there are still some things, so we will also go to Delhi and discuss with them,” the farmer leader said.
The protesting farmers are camping on the Shambhu Border near the Ambala.
Tractors, trolleys and trucks in large numbers were seen lined up on the border as the protests have been put on hold.
A multi-layer barricade has been erected at the borders of Shambhu and Gazipur by the government to thwart the agitated farmers’ attempts to enter the nation’s capital. It is said that during the clash between protesters and security forces, hundreds of farmers, a few journalists, and police officers were hurt. Prior to this, Piyush Goyal, the Union Minister, claimed to have had a lengthy and highly positive conversation with farmers.
“With new ideas and thoughts, we had a positive discussion with the Bhartiya Kisan Mazdoor Union and other farmer leaders. We had a detailed discussion on how to carry forward the work done by PM Modi in the last 10 years,” he said.
The union ministers and farmer leaders had met earlier on February 8, 12 and 15 but talks remained inconclusive.
Punjab’s agitated farmers have made a number of demands, including loan waivers and an ordinance guaranteeing MSPs’ legal guarantees. The Kisan Mazdoor Morcha and the non-political Samyukta Kisan Morcha have issued a “Delhi Chalo” call, imploring the BJP-led Centre to grant their demands. Punjabi farmers began their march to the capital on February 13, but they encountered opposition from security guards at the border crossings of Shambhu and Khanauri, which separate Punjab from Haryana.
