Thousands attend mahapanchayat, farmers’ talks with Central team today

In an apparent show of strength hours before their crucial talks with a Central team at Chandigarh, farm unions on Thursday held their third kisan mahapanchayat at the Shambhu border to mark the first anniversary of the Kisan Andolan 2.0. The mahapanchayat drew thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Similar mahapanchayats were held at Ratanpura in Rajasthan and Khanauri on February 11 and 12, respectively.

Farm leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said 43 farmers had lost their lives during the recent stir. Shubhkaran Singh (22) was shot at Khanauri on February 21, 2024. Over 450 farmers had sustained injuries, with 35 suffering serious wounds, five losing vision in one eye, and 17-year-old Jaskaran losing his right arm due to a gunshot wound.

The unions have decided to observe the first “barsi” (death anniversary) of Shubhkaran Singh at his native village, Ballo, in Bathinda on February 21.

Farm leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, whose indefinite fast entered the 80th day on Thursday, reaffirmed his commitment to attending the meeting. Abhimanyu Kohar confirmed that Dallewal was likely to participate in the talks with the Central team on February 14.

Sources said the SKM (Non-Political) and the KMM had finalised their respective 14-member delegations to attend the discussions and present their demands before the government panel. These delegations would be led by Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Sarwan Singh Pandher.

With limited progress on key issues, the upcoming meeting with the government is being seen as a crucial opportunity for the farmers. Their major demands include, MSP legal guarantee, implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations and complete farm debt waiver.

Meanwhile, the recent victory of the BJP in the Delhi Assembly elections has reportedly given the ruling party a psychological edge ahead of the negotiations. Sources in farm unions suggest that this electoral success, coupled with the BJP’s performance in the Lok Sabha and Haryana Assembly elections, could influence the course of discussions.

Pralhad Joshi to lead central team

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi will lead the central delegation to hold talks with the SKM (Non-Political) and KMM delegations of 14 members each in Chandigarh on Friday

Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Cheema said they had not received any invitation from the Centre to participate in the meeting and act as mediators between the two sides so far