Farmers protest: No progress in talks with the Center, farmers insist on MSP demand; next meeting is on Sunday

The third session of discussions between Union Ministers and the heads of the farmer groups concluded in a deadlock with no sign of a solution, therefore Sunday will be the next round of negotiations.

Nevertheless, Union Minister Arjun Munda said after the meeting that the third round of negotiations with the leaders of the farmers who were protesting had been “positive”.

“Today, the administration and the farmers’ unions had a really fruitful conversation. We’ve agreed that, in keeping with the issues raised by the farmers’ union, the next meeting will be held on Sunday at 6 p.m. We’ll all work together to amicably resolve this,” Munda said.

After around five hours, the third session of negotiations between the Union ministries and the 14 heads of farmer unions came to an end.
The federal government was represented at the conference by Union Ministers Piyush Goyal and Arjun Munda and Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai.
Bhagwant Mann, the chief minister of Punjab, was also present during the meeting.

The failure of earlier negotiations with farm body leaders to yield results further encouraged the farmers to organize the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march.
The farmer leaders and the center had their first meeting on February 8 and their second meeting on February 12.

Two crucial border crossings between Delhi and Haryana were blocked to traffic throughout the demonstration, while security officers wearing anti-riot gear practiced and simulated drills to make sure they were well prepared. According to authorities, the Border Security Force’s (BSF) Tear Smoke Unit has been instructed by the Delhi Police to provide more than 30,000 tear gas shells.

Amid the farmers’ ‘Delhi Chalo’ march, the Haryana government has declared that the internet shutdown would continue in many districts, including Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad, and Sirsa, starting tomorrow. Due to the demonstrations, internet services have been halted in the state three times this month.

The Bharatiya Kisan Union’s chief, Gurnam Singh Charuni, made the announcement earlier on Thursday that the organization would forgo paying a toll in Haryana for three hours on Friday. The following day, every Tehsil will host a tractor parade, and on Saturday, all worker and farmer organizations will gather jointly.

The decision was made at a Bharatiya Kisan Union meeting that Charuni convened earlier today.
“Three decisions were taken today: first, we will keep Haryana toll free for 3 hours tomorrow, from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.; the day after tomorrow, there will be a tractor parade in every Tehsil, from 12 pm; on February 18, there will be a joint meeting of all farmers’ and labour organisations,” Charuni told reporters.”

In the meeting, further choices will be made,” he said.
In Haryana, Charuni is quite influential. Although the leader of the farmers was involved in the demonstrations in 2020–21, he is not a member of the current ones.
Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, protesting farmers from Rajpura in Patiala, Punjab, were escalating their protest earlier today by halting trains at Rajpura Railway Station and sitting on rails.

Congress, meantime, has restated its position on the continuing farmers’ protest, declaring that it supports the farmers’ nonviolent protest.
“Our leader Rahul Gandhi and also the national president, Mallikarjun Kharge have clearly and categorically said that if Congress comes to power, we’ll give legal status to guarantee the MSP… Congress stands firm with the peaceful protest of farmers…” Dotasara said to media.

The farmers are marching to Delhi in support of 12 requests they have made of the federal government. This time, farmer union leaders Jagjeet Singh Dallewal and Sarwan Singh Pandher are leading the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha and Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, which has called for the demonstration.
Farmers who were protesting in 2021 said they abandoned their protest because the center promised them higher crop prices. They are calling for the passage of legislation that would ensure a minimum support price (MSP) for all crops, as suggested by the findings of the Swaminathan Commission.
In addition, they want a plan to provide farmers and agricultural laborers pensions, as well as a total remission of all debt.

Along with their demands to restore the Land Acquisition Act of 2013, which guarantees them permission and compensation at four times the collector rate, the farmers have also sought the repeal of the Electricity Amendment Bill 2020.
They are also calling for the punishment of those responsible for the deaths in Lakhimpur Kheri.
The farmers have also appealed for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (MGNREGA) to combine farming with 200 days of work each year and a day pay of Rs 700. They have also asked for jobs for any family members and reparations for the relatives of farmers who lost their lives in the 2021 demonstrations.

Farmers staged protests at Delhi’s borders in 2020 against three regulations, which the central government overturned in 2021.
These three laws were the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, and the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act.