Unity talks remain inconclusive; SKM not invited for Feb 14 meet

The second round of unity talks remained inconclusive between the protesting farmer bodies and the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of farmer unions that had led a year-long protest on the Delhi borders in 2020-21 against the now-scrapped three central agriculture laws.

The SKM representatives — including prominent farmer leaders Joginder Singh Ugrahan, Balbir Singh Rajewal and Darshan Pal — have also not been invited by the Centre for the meeting called to discuss issues in Chandigarh on February 14 with the protesting unions led by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM).

The meeting held between the farmer unions at Patran was part of an effort to finalise a common minimum programme to carry forward the struggle.

It lasted three hours, with Ugrahan, Rajewal, Darshan Pal and Sarwan Singh Pandher in attendance.

The next date for the talks will be announced after the general body meeting of SKM leaders on January 24.

On January 13, their talks to formulate a common strategy had also ended without any result.

While the current protest by farmers on the Punjab's Shambhu and Khanauri border points has remained restricted to the demands including debt waiver and a law assuring a minimum support (MSP) price for crops, the SKM had been claiming that the MSP is secondary to the draft National Policy Framework on Agricultural Marketing.

SKM leaders Ugrahan, Rajewal and Harinder Singh Lakhowal stressed that their focus should be on the new policy, which they said contains the provisions of the now-scrapped three central farm laws.

Rajewal termed the draft a tool in the hands of the corporates to attack the country's agricultural sector.

Meanwhile, representatives of the farmer unions refrained from making any statement over their meetings. They held two separate press conferences.

Addressing a press conference after the meeting, Sarwan Singh Pandher, the coordinator for the two forums holding the protest, said, "We have taken a step towards minimum unity and our objective is maximum unity with farmer unions."

Pandher urged farmer leaders to defer the next meeting, considering the deteriorating health of Dallewal.

In the meantime, the SKM has decided to stage demonstrations on January 20 outside homes of Members of Parliaments in the state.