Central ministers' talks with farmers fail, MSP sticking point

Ruchika M Khanna

Chandigarh, February 12

Notwithstanding the heavy deployment of forces at the state borders, the “Dilli Chalo” protest by farmers will start on Tuesday morning as the negotiations between the farmer leaders and two Central ministers failed late tonight. The farmer leaders belonged to the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha.

Editorial: Farmers’ protest

The talks between the two sides, lasting for over five hours, reached a deadlock as Union ministers Arjun Munda and Piyush Goyal did not agree to the three main demands of farmers. These included legal guarantee for MSP on all crops; debt waiver for farmers and farm labourers; and fixing the MSP of all crops according to the formula given in the Swaminathan Commission report.

SKM (Non-Political) leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal said the government repeated the proposals it had made during the first meeting on February 8. “Since they are unwilling to relent, the farmers have no choice, but to begin their march to Delhi at 10 am tomorrow,” he said after farmer leaders walked out of the meeting around 11.45 pm.

Sarwan Singh Pandher of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee said the government was not serious about resolving the farmers’ issues. “We tried our best to talk and sort things out, but they (government) do not want to give us anything,” he said.

The farmer leaders, who reached here from all over the country for the talks, remained adamant on getting a legal guarantee on MSP for all crops and a complete debt waiver for farmers and farm labourers.

Though the two Union ministers reportedly offered to set up a time-bound committee to decide on the issue of MSP, the farm leaders refused to relent. The ministers also reportedly refused to announce any debt waiver.

Sources said the Central team agreed to five of the 17 demands raised by the SKM (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha. After the meeting, Union minister Arjun Munda said, “We are still open to holding talks with farmers and listening to them with an open mind.”