Chandigarh: For the first time since negotiations began with farmers, the Union government has tabled a key proposal before farmer leaders on the issue of a minimum support price guarantee, during the fourth round of talks here, late on February 18.The panel of Union ministers proposed that government agencies would buy three pulse crops, maize, and cotton at MSP for five years after entering into a legal contract with farmers.“The government promoted cooperative societies like NCCF (National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India) and NAFED (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India) will form a contract for the next 5 years and buy products from the farmers on MSP. There will be no limit on the quantity,” said Union commerce minister Piyush Goyal after a meeting with farmers that lasted late till 1.30 am.Union agriculture minister Arjun Munda and Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai were also present at the meeting.The new proposal was not something farmers had been expecting or gunning for as they had wanted a law on MSP which would provide a legal guarantee to all 23 crops of which the Union government decides MSP every year.That is why farmers did not commit anything to the Union government on their latest proposal and told ministers that they would first discuss the proposal at their forums over the next two days and thereafter, decide the future course of action.The farmers were represented by Sarvan Singh Pandher, coordinator of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), and Jagjit Singh Dallewal, convener of SKM (non-political), a splinter group of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) which played key role in 2020 farmers’ protests.After the meeting, Dallewal told reporters that they will discuss the proposal by the government with their respective forums and experts. “Then, we will come to a conclusion,” he added.Also read: The Solution to Farmers’ Problems Lies in the MacroPandher then said, “Our ‘Delhi Chalo’ will continue from February 21 if no final result comes out in next two days. We have other demands apart from MSP.”Protesters have been camping at the Punjab-Haryana borders — at Shambhu barrier and Khanauri border points — since the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march began on February 13.So far, farmer unions from Haryana had not been forthcoming. But on February 18, Haryana BKU (Chaduni) chief Gurnam Singh Chaduni, who had key role in 2020 farm protest too, told reporters that the group would join the big stir if the talks between Punjab farmers’ bodies and the Union government failed.The Punjab unit of the original SKM group too has decided to hold day and night mass protests in front of the houses of MPs, MLAs, ministers and district presidents of BJP for the next three days. The protest will start at 10 am on February 20 and end at 5 pm on February 22.The SKM in a press statement on Sunday also informed that they would hold their national coordination committee meeting at 2 pm on February 21 in Delhi and the general body next day to take stock of the situation and decide upon future plans of action to intensify the ongoing struggles.It stated that commitments that the Union government made at the time of withdrawal from the farmers’ protest have remained unfulfilled, be it deciding MSP at the ‘cost and 50%’ model, with guaranteed procurement, the comprehensive loan waiver scheme, no privatisation of electricity and so on.Meanwhile, BKU Ugrahan, one of the largest farmers’ bodies in Punjab staged a dharna outside the residences of BJP state president Sunil Jakhar in Abohar, Captain Amarinder Singh in Patiala, and Kewal Dhillon in Barnala on Saturday and Sunday.On Sunday, Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu also threw his weight behind the farmers’ demands.Meanwhile, the internet shutdown was extended in seven districts of Haryana to February 24. In Punjab too, six districts are now facing internet shutdown.
