The standoff at the Khanauri border between Punjab and Haryana ended on Tuesday after the Centre invited protesting farmers for talks on September 4. Following the invitation, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha called off their sit-in at the border and halted their proposed 228-km “Kisan Bachao Padyatra” to Delhi.
The decision came after Haryana Police stopped the farmers from proceeding towards the national capital, with the interstate border sealed using multi-layered barricades, containers and barbed wire. The development is expected to pave the way for the reopening of the national highway, which had remained blocked since Sunday.
The farmers had announced plans to stage a semi-naked protest in response to being stopped at the border. Following the announcement, the administration facilitated talks with the Centre, opening the possibility of a resumption of dialogue between the Centre and the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) after nearly 17 months.
A meeting between a delegation of farmer union leaders and Union Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has been scheduled for September 4 in New Delhi, although the venue has not yet been finalised. The Haryana government will facilitate the meeting.
SKM (Non-Political) president Jagjit Singh Dallewal and senior leader Abhimanyu Kohar said they had been informed that Khattar would meet them in Delhi on September 4 and subsequently arrange a meeting with Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on the same day or at a later date.
Following the Centre’s invitation, the farmers decided to withdraw their sit-in and call off the proposed march to Delhi.
However, Dallewal warned that if the September 4 meeting is cancelled or postponed by the Centre “on any pretext”, farmers from across the country would reach Jantar Mantar in Delhi to register their protest.
Three days ago, 55 farmers from Punjab had set out for Delhi but were stopped by Haryana Police at the Khanauri-Datasinghwala border. The farmers subsequently held two rounds of talks with Jind Deputy Commissioner Vaishali Sharma, but the discussions failed to yield a solution. Following the talks, the farmers announced an indefinite protest and began a sit-in on the Punjab side of the border.
The last round of talks between Union ministers and farmer union leaders was held in Chandigarh on March 19, 2025. Between February 13, 2024, and March 19, 2025, farmers under the banners of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha and SKM (Non-Political) had staged protests at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders, demanding, among other things, a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP). Seven rounds of talks were held during that period.
The latest round of talks is expected to involve the SKM (Non-Political) leadership, with the AAP-led Punjab government likely to play a coordinating role.
The farmers are currently protesting against the India-US trade deal and have been demanding that the Centre address their concerns.
