Farmer Leaders Reject Centre’s Proposal, Set To March Towards Delhi

Farmer leaders have announced that they will march towards the national capital tomorrow, Wednesday, February 21. Leaders taking part in the ‘Delhi Chalo’ agitation on Monday also rejected the Centre’s proposal of procuring pulses, maize and cotton at MSP by government agencies for five years.

Kisan Mazdoor Morcha leader Sarwan Singh Pandher told reporters at the Shambhu point of Punjab’s border with Haryana, “We appeal to the government that either resolve our issues or remove barricades and allow us to proceed to Delhi to protest peacefully.”

On Sunday, in the fourth round of talks with farmer leaders, a panel of three Union ministers on Sunday proposed buying of maize, pulses and cotton crops by government agencies at minimum support prices (MSP) for three years, after entering into an agreement with farmers.

Earlier, Samyukta Kisan Morcha, which spearheaded the 2020-21 farmers’ stir, rejected the government proposal on Monday, saying it seeks to “divert and dilute” the farmers’ demand for MSP and they will accept nothing less than the ‘C-2 plus 50 per cent’ formula for MSP as recommended in the Swaminathan Commission report.

“After holding discussions in our two forums, it has been decided that the Centre’s proposal is not in the interest of farmers and we reject this proposal,” said Jagjit Singh Dallewal, a leader of the SKM (Non-Political), which is spearheading the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march along with the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha.

Pandher, on being asked if their call for a march to Delhi still stands, said, “We will move to Delhi peacefully at 11 am on February 21.” He also said the government should take decisions now and felt that there was no need for further discussions.

Sharing the reasons for rejecting the government’s proposals with reporters, Dallewal said, “We did not find anything in the proposal.”

He said that Union ministers had said, in the fourth round of talks, that if the government gives a guarantee for MSP for pulses, it will pit an additional burden of Rs 1.50 lakh on the exchequer.

He said further that the Centre’s proposal of buying five crops at the MSP will only be meant for those who opt for crop diversification. Dallewal asserted that farmers are not going to benefit from it, adding that farmers were demanding MSP on all 23 crops and the MSP was based on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).

Meanwhile, Dallewal said the main reason for inviting Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann to the meetings was to raise the issue of barricading along the state borders and that the people of Punjab were facing tear gas shelling inside the state’s territory.

“The Haryana DGP, in a statement, said that they have not used tear gas or pellet guns. If no such order was given, then how come 400 people got injured? Why is the Haryana government not acting on the matter,” he asked.

Both Pandher and Dallewal said that they did not want to break the barricades and wanted to move towards Delhi peacefully. “We only want to get our demands met, but if the government does not listen, then we are compelled. On one side are the farmers, on the other side are the ‘jawans’ (police and paramilitary). We do not want any violence. If the government indulges in ‘jabar’ (oppression), then people of the country will think whether such people should be in power or not,” said Pandher.

After their ‘Delhi Chalo’ march — to press the Centre for various demands, including a legal guarantee of minimum support price for crops — was stopped by security forces, which led to clashes last week — protesting farmers have been staying put at Shambhu and Khanauri points on Punjab’s border with Haryana.

Apart from a legal guarantee of MSP, farmers are demanding pension for farmers and farm labourers, the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations, farm debt waiver, no hike in electricity tariff, withdrawal of police cases and “justice” for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence, reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, and compensation to the families of the farmers who died during a previous agitation in 2020-21.