Punjab: Won’t attend May 4 meet if state participates, say farmers

The ruling Aam Aadmi Party’s equation with farmers in the state is headed for another low. Party’s MLAs and leaders have already been facing the farmers’ ire after the forcible lifting of their year-long dharna last month. Now, the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and the SKM (Non-Political) have fired a fresh salvo, asking the Centre not to make the state government a part of their meeting on May 4.

In the three meetings held between a three-member Central delegation, comprising Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chohan, Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Pralhad Joshi and Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, and representatives of the two farmer forums this year, the state government representatives, led by Finance Minister Harpal Cheema, were present.

Though accepting this demand of the farmers is entirely up to the three-member Central ministers’ delegation that has been holding the deliberations with farmers since February this year, SKM (Non-Political) and KMM leaders, including Sarwan Singh Pandher, Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Abhimanyu Kohar, have categorically said that they would not attend the meeting, if representatives of the state government were present there.

In a letter sent to Chouhan, eight leaders of the two farmer union forums have said, “The Punjab Government has hurt our self-respect and insulted us. Farmers across the country are resentful towards them. It cheated us by arresting us while we were returning after holding a meeting with the Central Government delegation. They forcibly dispersed the protests at Shambhu and Khanauri borders.”

The letter further says that the last meeting between the Central delegation and farm leaders, held at Chandigarh on March 19, was held in a cordial atmosphere. “We would also like to bring to your notice that we had attended the meeting held on March 19, on the written invitation of the Centre. Therefore, the Centre was also responsible for not allowing arrest of farmer leaders and crushing of their protest.”

“While we believe the way forward to resolve all issues is through dialogue, we will not participate in the meeting if the state government is invited for the scheduled fourth round of talks,” they have said.

AAP leaders have so far maintained a studied silence on the issue.

Punjab