Badal-farmer talks deadlocked; stir on

Sarbjit Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 12

The ongoing “rail roko” protest will continue on Tuesday as agitating Punjab farmers and Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal failed to break the deadlock over their demands.

“We will decide the next course of action tonight. The decision would be announced at the dharna sites on Tuesday,” said a farmer leader.

Sources said while certain organisation favoured calling off the agitation so that it could be re-launched in a new format, the Kirti Kisan Union pressed for its continuation.

Immediately after their meeting with the CM at the Punjab Bhavan, farmers moved to the Kisan Bhavan to decide on future course of action. Deliberations were on till the filing of this report. 

The government had reportedly not concede to any of their major demands, except assuring to earmark Rs 64 crore to compensate farm workers affected by crop failure. Spokesman of the Kirti Kisan Union Hardev Singh Sandhu said the government did not concede to any of the farmers’ demands, so their organisation would persist with the agitation. He said their organisation would not ditch farmers who had been going through bad times.

At the meeting, the CM reportedly said a law would be enacted to safeguard farmers’ interests as regards money advanced to them by commission agents and private moneylenders. He would take up the loan waiver issue with the Centre, Badal said.

He told farmers that the state government could pay only Rs 8,000 per acre as compensation for cotton crop loss. Rs 664 crore had already been released in that regard, he added. Farmers have been demanding Rs 40,000 per acre as compensation.