Chandigarh | A panel of three Union ministers will hold a meeting with protesting farmer leaders in Chandigarh Thursday for another round of talks amid the ongoing standoff between the agitators and security personnel at the Punjab-Haryana border.
Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Minister Arjun Munda, Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai will meet the farmer leaders at 5 pm here over their various demands, including a law guaranteeing Minimum Support Price for crops.
This will be the third round of talks between the two sides: the previous two rounds of dialogue on February 8 and 12 remained inconclusive.
Farmers from Punjab are camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders of Punjab and Haryana seeking to march towards Delhi to press the Centre to accept their demands.
The farmer leaders have said they will not make any fresh attempt to move towards the national capital till the meeting is held, asserting that the next course of action will be decided on the basis of the Centre's proposals.
Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) and BKU Dakaunda (Dhaner) have announced 'rail roko' in the state on Thursday. Farmers will squat on rail tracks at seven locations from 12 noon to 4 pm.
The decision was taken in protest against the hurling of tear gas shells and water cannons used against the protesting farmers by the Haryana security personnel at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha has also decided to hold protests at toll plazas from 11 am till 2 pm.
Hundreds of farmers have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders as part of their 'Dilli Chalo' call.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha are spearheading the 'Delhi Chalo' agitation to put pressure on the Centre for their demands, including a law on MSP, loan waivers and implementation of the Swaminathan Commission recommendations.
The Haryana Police have sealed the border with barricades stopping farmers from travelling to Delhi on their tractor-trolleys.
At the Shambhu border point near Ambala, there was intermittent shelling of tear gas by security personnel on Wednesday. It was used whenever any group of farmers moved towards the barricades.
Security personnel faced stone-pelting from the protesters.
A similar standoff continued at the Data Singhwala-Khanauri border near Haryana's Jind district.
Ahead of a meeting with a panel of the Centre, farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher on Thursday said the prime minister should speak to the three visiting Union ministers to resolve the farmers' issues.
Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Minister Arjun Munda, Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai will meet the farmer leaders at 5 pm here over their various demands, including a law guaranteeing Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops.
Addressing the media at the Shambhu border, Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee general secretary Pandher said protesting farmers' demands should be accepted.
"We want that the prime minister should himself speak to the deputation (of union ministers) which is coming (for the meeting) and resolve the demands of farmers," he said.
"We want our demands to be accepted," the farmer leader said.
"Either accept our demands or allow us to hold a peaceful protest," he added.
Referring to an action against farmers by the security personnel deployed by the Haryana authorities at the Punjab-Haryana border, Pandher slammed paramilitary personnel for using "force" against farmers, leaving many injured.
He also showed some shells of tear gas.
Pandher claimed that the paramilitary force allegedly used smoke cell air bursts and smoke cell ground bursts against farmers.
Despite the force used against farmers, the farmer leaders were going to hold talks with the three Union ministers on Thursday, he said.
Referring to the suspension of mobile internet services, Pandher alleged that the government wanted to "crush us (farmers) like Manipur which we are seeing".
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha are spearheading the 'Delhi Chalo' agitation to put pressure on the Centre for their demands, including a law on MSP for crops and loan waivers.
Farmers from Punjab have assembled at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders as part of their 'Delhi Chalo' call.
Besides a legal guarantee for MSP, the farmers are also demanding the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission's recommendations, pensions for farmers and farm labourers, farm debt waiver, withdrawal of police cases and "justice" for victims of the Lakhimpur Kheri violence, reinstate the Land Acquisition Act 2013, withdraw from the World Trade Organisation, compensation for families of farmers died during the previous agitation
