Punjab: Farmer-Centre talks on May 4, reiterates Chouhan

Amidst speculation of curtains on talks between representatives of various farmer unions and a Central Government delegation, Union Minister for Agriculture Shivraj Singh Chouhan has urged the fasting farm leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal to end his indefinite fast.

In a social media post on “X”, Chouhan said, “The ongoing series of talks between representatives of the Government of India and farmer organisations regarding their demands will continue uninterrupted. Farm leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal has now returned from hospital, and we wish him a speedy recovery. At the same time, we request him to end his fast. As per the previously decided date with representatives of the farmer organisations, we will meet for talks on May 4 at 11 am.”

So far, delegations of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), led by Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Sarwan Singh Pandher, have met the Central team thrice on February 14, 22 and March 19.

Following the March 19 meeting, Dallewal, Pandher and several leaders were apprehended by the Punjab Police while they were returning from Chandigarh. In a subsequent police crackdown, both Shambhu and Khanauri Morcha sites were got evicted by the authorities.

Over 1,400 farmers were apprehended across the state and released in phases.

Following the police crackdown, a speculation was rife that the lifting of the morcha would bring an end to the talks with the Central Government-led delegation.

After being discharged from the hospital on April 3, the farmer leader reached his native village Dallewal in Faridkot district and lambasted the state government, accusing Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of “stabbing Punjabis in the back” and said he would end his fast when farmers’ demand for a Central law ensuring minimum support price for crops was fulfilled.

He also declined any offer of mediation between farmers and the Centre over a string of their demands.

The farm leader reiterated a similar statement while addressing a gathering of farmers in Patiala today. Dallewal has been observing an indefinite fast since November 26 last year.

Another farm leader and close associate of Dallewal, Abhimanyu Kohar, said he appreciated the sentiment of the Agriculture Minister Chouhan. “At the current juncture, it would not be appropriate to comment on anything. We are not going to relent from our stand of legal guarantee over the MSP. We will hold a meeting and discuss the issue.”

AAP playing polarisation politics, says Pandher

After the Punjab Police unceremoniously evicted farmers from the protest site at Shambhu, farm leader Sarwan Singh Pandher, who headed now-defunct Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), today accused the ruling AAP government of playing diversionary politics in Punjab to win the Ludhiana (West) elections. He said the ruling party was “creating an urban-rural divide and playing polarisation politics like the BJP-led Central Government”.

He said the crackdown on protesting farmer morchas at Khanauri and Shambhu was done to please online delivery startups, while no concern was shown towards small shopkeepers who were shutting down their businesses.

Pandher said the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee would hold a meeting in Ludhiana on April 7 to plan the next course of action.

Punjab