Thousands of farmers affiliated with the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) have embarked on a march from various regions of Punjab and Haryana towards Delhi to push the Centre to address their demands.
Foremost among these demands is the enactment of a law guaranteeing a minimum support price (MSP) for crops – a crucial lifeline for farmers facing market uncertainties.
In a last-ditch attempt by the Centre, Union ministers Piyush Goyal and Arjun Munda held a five-hour-long meeting in Chandigarh with farmer leaders on Monday that proved inconclusive. The farmers remain steadfast in their resolve, asserting that the government’s promises made two years ago have also not been fulfilled.
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What are the farmers’ demands?
In a potential replay of the protests in 2020-21 over contentious farm laws, Samyukta Kisan Morcha leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal claimed more than 200 farmers’ unions from across the country will participate in the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march.
This time around, the farmers are demanding the enactment of a law to guarantee minimum support price or MSP, for their crops. Legal assurances for the MSP scheme were part of the protests four years ago, which were called off after the government reached a deal with the agitating farmers.
The other demands are the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations, pensions for farmers and farm labourers, waiving of farm debts, and withdrawal of police cases filed during the 2020/21 protests. The farmers also want justice for those killed in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri; eight people, including four farmers, were mowed down by cars during protests.
At a time when the Lok Sabha polls are near, neither state nor centre wants to be at loggerheads with the farmers.
But there seems to be no middle path – Samyukta Kisan Morcha’s leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal said, “Our demands are long pending – and now there cannot be a middle path.”
Farmer leaders such as Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee’s Sarwan Singh Pandher have expressed skepticism regarding the government’s commitment to fulfilling the broader set of demands.
The government proposes the formation of a committee to deliberate on legal guarantees for MSP, debt waivers, and the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations. However, farmer representatives remain unconvinced.
Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress have already sided with protesting farmers. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann accused the Haryana government of creating a border “between Punjab and India”, referring to the concrete blocks, nails, and barbed wire placed on some roads to scuttle the farmers’ proposed ‘Delhi Chalo’ march.
Also Read: Barricades up at Delhi-UP borders, Section 144 imposed as farmers call for protest march on Feb 13
Delhi ‘sealed’
As the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march gains momentum, security measures at Singhu, Ghazipur, and Tikri borders have intensified. The Delhi police have implemented stringent measures, including the installation of nails along with barricades and concrete barriers and the use of cranes and earthmovers to block the road, aiming to prevent the entry of protesting vehicles into the city.