Centre invites farmers for talks on February 14; farmers accept invitation

Chandigarh: The union government has agreed to resume the talks with the farmers over the pending issues including guaranteed Minimum Support Price, ending a year long deadlock between when talks were suspended on February 18 last year.
As per the written invitation the union government has invited the farmers for talks at 5 pm on February 14 at Chandigarh.

The decision was announced by Priya Ranjan, Joint Secretary, Union Agriculture Ministry, who visited Khanauri border and met fasting leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who is on Fast Unto Death since November 26 last year.

Sources said that the meeting between Ranjan and farmer leaders lasted for nearly two hours and the farmer leaders agreed that they will request Dallewal to take medical assistance after the Joint Secretary gave a written invitation for talks fixing the venue at Chandigarh on February 14.

“We visited the Khanauri border and held talks with the leaders of both the forums and it was decided that the government was agreed to resume talks which were suspended last year”, Ranjan told media persons. He said that the representation of union government and Punjab government will attend the meeting with the farmer leaders. He expressed hope that Dallewal to take medical assistance and end his fast so that he could be able to attend the meeting.

The farmer leaders said that Dallewal has made it clear that he will not end his fast until the demands are accepted and the decision to take medical assistance will be taken after the consent from 111 farmers who are also in Fast Unto Death in support of Dallewal.
The development assumes political significance ahead of assembly elections in Delhi, where Sikh community has a considerable vote share in several constituencies.

The development is the outcome of a recent decision by the Union government, following which Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan had appointed nodal officers to assess the farmers’ agitation in Punjab and Haryana and find out a way to sort out the issues.

The talks between farmers and group of union ministers were suspended in February last year after the farmers failed to get any assurance over the guaranteed MSP from the government.

The central government held the fourth round of talks with leaders of farmers’ unions on Sunday, February 18, to end the ongoing ‘Delhi chalo’ protests at Punjab-Haryana borders. Since then the farmers were protesting at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Haryana and Punjab as Haryana police did not allow them to cross barricades after repeated attempts.

Haryana CM offers MSP assurances for Punjab

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, during his visit to Punjab, announced that his government procures all crops at MSP and that the same could be implemented in Punjab if a BJP government is formed in the state.

“Some people question the guarantee of our announcement to procure all crops at MSP. However, making such statements on the floor of the House is a guarantee in itself. We can provide the same facility to Punjab farmers if the BJP forms the government here,” Saini said during his visit to Rupnagar, Punjab.

Haryana has become the only state in the country to procure all crops at MSP.

The Haryana government recently issued a notification ensuring arrangements for the procurement of all 24 notified crops at the MSP announced by the Centre.