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The Union government has proposed a meeting with protesting farmers on February 14 in Chandigarh to discuss their demands, according to a senior Union government official on Saturday. In response, farmer leaders appealed to Jagjit Singh Dallewal, a fasting farmer leader whose fast-unto-death entered its 54th day on Saturday, to take medical aid so he could participate in the proposed meeting.
A delegation of Central government officials, led by joint secretary Priya Ranjan, met Dallewal at Khanauri and held discussions with representatives from the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM). Farmers protesting at the Khanauri and Shambhu border points between Punjab and Haryana said they had received a proposal from the Centre, which they would discuss, news agency PTI reported.
SKM’s Meeting With Two Other Protesting Farmer Bodies Inconclusive
Meanwhile, a meeting between the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) and the two other protesting farmer bodies to form a unified front for their demands remained inconclusive on Saturday. It marked the second meeting within a week between the SKM, SKM (Non-Political), and KMM to coordinate a joint struggle. The farmers are pushing for a legal guarantee on the minimum support price for crops.
After the meeting, the three farmer bodies indicated that efforts to unite were ongoing. Farmers under the SKM (Non-Political) and KMM banners have been protesting at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points since February 13 last year. The protests began after security forces blocked their march to Delhi to raise their demands.
The SKM, which led the 2020 agitation against the now-repealed farm laws, is not participating in the current protest in Punjab. However, the SKM announced plans to hand over memorandums to all MPs on January 20, urging the Centre to address farmers’ issues and to initiate talks to save the life of fasting leader Dallewal.
Balbir Singh Rajewal, a leader of the SKM, addressed the media in Patiala, stressing the need for a united front among farmer organisations and emphasising the urgency of saving Dallewal’s life, PTI reported. The SKM also called for including the rejection of the Centre’s draft agricultural marketing policy in the farmers’ 12-point demand list. The SKM claims the policy could lead to the reintroduction of the now-repealed farm laws.
Leaders from the SKM (Non-Political) and KMM, however, said they would discuss the issue in their upcoming meeting. KMM leader Sarwan Singh Pandher reiterated that efforts for unity among the farmer bodies would continue, while another leader, Gurvinder Singh Bhangu, noted that the three groups had discussed unity for the protest, as per PTI.
The efforts to unite the farmer bodies had initially failed in February last year. However, fresh talks resumed in December following Dallewal’s indefinite hunger strike. Dallewal, the convener of SKM (Non-Political), has been on a hunger strike at the Khanauri border since November 26 last year, demanding action on various issues affecting farmers. Despite his deteriorating health, Dallewal has so far refused medical aid.
