Approximately one lakh farmers belonging to the Samyukt Kisan Morcha-Non Political (SKM-NP), a splinter group of the original SKM, started preparations for a rally in Delhi on Tuesday seeking guaranteed minimum support prices (MSPs) for their produce. The first round of talks with the Union government on this demand had collapsed on Thursday, and farmers from neighbouring States have been gathering in preparation for a march to the national capital on Monday.
SKM-NP leader Shiv Kumar Kakka, who is also a former RSS functionary, was detained by the Madhya Pradesh police on Sunday. Though he was released after about three hours, farmer leaders told The Hindu that they are considering a boycott of the second round of discussions with Union Ministers, scheduled to be held on Monday, in protest against his detention.
At the first round of talks on Monday, Commerce and Food Minister Piyush Goyal, MoS Agriculture Arjun Munda, and MoS Home Nityanand Rai told the the farmers that their demands could not be accepted without consulting multiple Ministries.
