CHANDIGARH: The seven-hour meeting between the Centre and representatives of 30 Punjab farmers’ unions remained inconclusive, sources said, adding the farmers’ agitation in the state will continue.
The farmer leaders met Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of State of Industries Som Parkash, who is also an MP from Punjab, at Krishi Bhavan in New Delhi in an attempt to break the impasse over three farm laws passed by Parliament in October.
No immediate breakthrough could be achieved and both sides agreed to talk further, farmer representatives said. Terming the meeting positive, Bhartiya Kishan Union Punjab leaders Balbir Singh Rajewal and Darshan Pal said the agitation would continue.
“We will meet in Chandigarh on November 18 to decide the next course of action. The Centre wants no disruption in goods and passenger train service. We told them the tracks are already vacated, so the railways can resume goods movement. We’ll decide on the passenger train movement on November 18,” said Rajewal.
“The Centre said it would consider setting up a committee to look into our demands,” he said.
“We have listed five demands, including revocation of the farm laws, restoration of train services in Punjab, withdrawal of stringent penalties for burning stubble and a cut in diesel tax.”
“The Centre gave us a presentation explaining the benefits of the new laws, but we told them the purpose of our visit was not to get enlightened on the laws. We asked them what they intended to do about the laws”, said Rajewal.
He said Tomar carefully listened to the issues raised by the farmer representatives.Darshan Pal said as decided earlier by over 500 unions from across India, farmers would go to Delhi on their tractor-trolleys on November 26-27.