As the five-hour-long second round of meetings held on Monday with Union Cabinet Ministers Piyush Goyal and Arjun Munda in Chandigarh also failed, the farmers belonging to the Samyukt Kisan Morcha-Non Political (SKM-NP), a splinter group of Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), have decided to continue with ‘Delhi Chalo’ protests as planned on Tuesday. The leaders said the protests will begin at 10 a.m.
The farmers’ leaders said that the Centre failed to give any assurance on their demands. The main bone of contention was an assurance on guaranteed MSP. “The Ministers did not give us any assurance on MSP. The talks collapsed. We will continue our protests,” K.V. Biju, a senior farmers’ leader told The Hindu after the meeting.
Their other demands — freedom from debt, hiked import duties on all agricultural products, cancellation of all free trade agreements and other deals with the World Trade Organisation, suspending privatisation of electricity boards, a ban on Foreign Direct Investment and corporatisation in agriculture, and a pension for farmers — remained unanswered as well.
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“The Centre has taken an adamant stand. We have no other way before us than continuing the protests,” said SKM-NP leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal.
Senior SKM-NP leader Shiv Kumar Kakka, Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher and Punjab Minister for Minister of Administrative Reforms and NRI Affairs Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal were also present in the meeting. Mr. Pandher said the Centre was trying to buy time. “We want the Centre to implement the assurances given to us two years ago. But they said they still want time,” he added.
Meanwhile, police forces in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi have strengthened the security at Delhi borders, expecting the presence of large numbers of farmers. Delhi Police has imposed Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code for one month.
A complete ban has been put in place on gatherings, processions or rallies and entry of tractor trolleys carrying people in the national capital, in anticipation of widespread tension and “social unrest” over the farmers’ march.
An order issued by Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora, which came into effect on Monday, would be enforced until March 12.
Farmers from Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are expected to enter Delhi during their march. Meanwhile, some farmers (including a few from Karnataka) heading to Delhi to take part in the protest were arrested in Madhya Pradesh on Monday.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah condemned the arrests. The SKM also echoed his condemnation and appealed to all political parties to call out the highhandedness of the BJP governments in various States and at the Centre.
(With inputs from Samridhi Tewari)
