Union ministers Arjun Munda, Piyush Goyal and Nityanand Rai and farmer leaders from Punjab will meet today i.e. on 18 February for the fourth round of talks. The two sides met earlier on February 8, 12 and 15, but those talks remained inconclusive. The farmers from Punjab began their march to Delhi on 13 February but were stopped by security personnel at the Shambhu and Khanauri points of Punjab’s border with Haryana.
The protesters have stayed put at the two border points since then. Besides a legal guarantee for MSP, the farmers are demanding implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations, pension for farmers and farm labourers, farm debt waiver, and withdrawal of police cases, among others.
A day ahead of the meeting i.e. on 17 February, farm leaders asked the Centre to bring an ordinance on giving a legal guarantee to MSP. Farm leader Sarwan Singh Pandher also said the entire country is looking to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for addressing the farmers’ demands and expressed hope that the farmers will get “good news” after the Sunday’s meeting with the Centre.
Also Read: Farmers’ Protest: BKU (U) to Rally Outside BJP Leaders’ Homes
Earlier on Saturday, The Bhartiya Kisan Union (Charuni) took out a tractor march in Haryana while BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) held dharnas outside residences of three senior BJP leaders in support of farmers protesting at the borders of Punjab over their various demands.
The Gurnam Singh Charuni-led faction, which is based in Haryana, took out tractor marches at several places including Kurukshetra, Yamunanagar and Sirsa. Later, talking to the reporters, Charuni said they fully support the demands raised by the agitating farmers of Punjab.
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