CHANDIGARH: Farmer leaders protesting at the Khanauri border said that a team from the Union government had given them a proposal on Saturday which they are examining.
It is learnt that a high-level Union government team headed by Indian Forest Service officer Priya Ranjan, who is Joint Secretary in the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, visited the Khanauri border and met farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal whose fast-unto-death entered the 54th day. Ranjan said they are concerned about Dallewal's health and had come to inquire about his condition.
Farmer leader Abhimanyu Kohar said the officials from the Centre met Dallewal who told them to talk to the leaders of both farmers' unions -- the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM).
The leaders of both unions held a two-hour-long meeting with the Union government officials over the farmers' demands. Farmer leader Kaka Singh Kotala came out of the meeting and said the officials have given them a proposal. "Leaders of both the forums will discuss it and then get back shortly," he added.
Earlier in the day, the second meeting between leaders of the SKM, the umbrella body of farmers unions which spearheaded the 2020-21 farmers protest, SKM (Non-Political) and KMM to forge unity among them once again remained inconclusive.
The meeting between the farmers unions held at Patran was part of an effort to finalise a common minimum program.
After the more than three-hour meeting, Sarwan Singh Pandher, coordinator of Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, claimed that they have taken a step towards minimum unity but their objective was maximum unity. He urged the six-member committee of the SKM to advance the next meeting, considering the deteriorating health of farmer leader Dallewal.
Farmer leader Sukhjit Singh Hardo Jhande, who is on a fast-unto-death for the past four days, had to leave the meeting as he was not feeling well. Further, the health of farmer leader Dallewal deteriorated due to which the meeting was cut short. The date of the next meeting will be announced after the SKM general body meeting on January 24.
The prominent farmer leaders who attended the meeting included Joginder Singh Ugrahan, Balbir Singh Rajewal, Darshan Pal and Sarwan Singh Pandher. The discussions centered around critical demands including a legal guarantee for MSP, implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations and debt waiver.