Chandigarh: A day after Centre fixed a meeting with protesting farmers over their demands including minimum support price (MSP) for their crops and debt waiver on February 14 and their ailing leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, on fast-unto-death since November 26, also agreed to medical aid, the farmers on Monday deferred their January 21 “Delhi chalo’’ protest march till January 26.
It may be recalled that the farmer unions camping and protesting at Shambhu and Khanauri borders of Punjab and Haryana since the past 11 months, had on January 16 announced that a group of 101 farmers would resume “Delhi chalo’’ protest foot-march from Shambhu border on January 21 to press the Centre to accept the farmers’ demands.
The farmers had earlier made three attempts to take out protest marches on December 6, 8 and 14 last year, though the same were foiled by Haryana police and Central forces by raining teargas shells leaving about 50 farmers injured.
On Saturday, a delegation of the Union agricultural ministry led by joint secretary Priya Ranjan held talks with Dallewal and leaders Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) at Khanauri border protest site and fixed February 16 for talks.
Briefing newspersons about the farmers’ decision, KMM leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said that the farmers, however, also urged the Centre to advance the date of the proposed meeting as February 14 was too far. The farm leaders also appealed to Dallewal to end his fast.
Stating that it was said that the February 14 was fixed for the talks in the wake of the model code of conduct till February 9 in Delhi due to elections there, Pandher asked that if the Centre could announce the 8th Pay Commission then why it could not hold the meeting with the farmers early.
He said that the protest march has been deferred till January 26. Stating that the farm unions have given a call for nationwide tractor march on January 26 when they would park their tractors outside BJP offices, shopping malls and silos set up by private houses from 12 O Clock (noon) to 1.30 pm.
