CHANDIGARH: The seventh round of talks between farmers' leaders and the Union government ended without a resolution, with farmers reiterating their demand for a legal guarantee on Minimum Support Price (MSP) for all crops. The next round of discussions is scheduled for 4 May.
A four-hour meeting was held at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Public Administration in Sector 26, Chandigarh, between Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, and Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, along with a 28-member delegation of Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political).
Chouhan stated, "A positive discussion took place in a cordial atmosphere. The talks will continue. The next meeting will take place on 4 May." He added that the discussions covered various demands raised by the farmers, particularly the legal guarantee for MSP.
Puran Chand Krishan has been appointed as secretary to engage with all stakeholders regarding the legal guarantee on MSP.
Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema and state Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian also attended the meeting. Cheema said, "The meeting was held in a positive atmosphere. The data provided by the farmer unions regarding the implementation of MSP on all crops will be examined by the Centre. There are no plans to remove protesting farmers from the Khanauri and Shambhu borders."
Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher expressed hope that the deadlock over a law guaranteeing MSP would end soon. "We have come here with a positive mind. Some decisions should come out after the meeting. We expect that the talks will move forward," he said.
Pandher emphasised that the discussions focused solely on providing a legal guarantee for MSP. "The government expressed concerns about implementing this guarantee, seeking further deliberations," he noted.
Notably, veteran farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal arrived at the meeting venue in an ambulance.
Other farmer leaders, including PR Pandyan, PT John, Satnam Singh Behru, and Abhimanyu Kohar, asserted that farmers across the country demand the MSP guarantee be passed by Parliament. "We will not stop our struggle until it is achieved," Kohar said. He added that central ministers had studied the report submitted by farmers and would conduct inter-ministerial consultations on their suggestions.
The farmer leaders also raised concerns about external pressures, particularly from the United States, urging the Indian government not to remove duties on agricultural products. Chouhan assured them that the government would prioritise farmers' interests.
Meanwhile, ahead of the talks, farmers reported increased police surveillance at the Shambhu border with Haryana since Monday evening. Internet services were suspended in several areas near the border.
"Around Rajpura and nearby areas, police presence has increased. More ambulances can be seen parked near the protest site, and we have heard that police are holding meetings. We do not know what the plan is when talks are also going on," said a farmer union leader at Shambhu.
Pandher criticised the deployment of additional police forces. "The deployment of a large police force is unacceptable. It does not send the right message. I will raise this issue in the meeting," he said.
Farmer leader Kaka Singh Kotra noted that police presence had increased since the previous evening, prompting farmers to gather at the Khanauri and Shambhu borders. The government was later forced to withdraw the additional police forces.
A senior police official confirmed that officers had been instructed to remain at Shambhu and that ambulances and riot-control vehicles had been stationed in the area. "We were asked to report at specific points and are waiting for further directions. Even we are not clear if we have been positioned to disperse protesters," he said. Tractors equipped with towing hooks have been stationed near the police post at Shambhu.
In contrast, the situation at the Khanauri border remained calm.
Farmers have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since 13 February last year after security forces prevented them from marching to Delhi to press their demands.
In addition to a legal guarantee for MSP, farmers are demanding a debt waiver, pensions for farmers and farm labourers, no hike in electricity tariffs, the withdrawal of police cases against farmers, justice for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence in Uttar Pradesh, the reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, and compensation to the families of farmers who died during the 2020-21 agitation.