'Delhi Chalo': Farmers begin march from Punjab’s Fatehgarh Sahib

Farmers have begun their ‘Delhi Chalo’ march from Fatehgarh Sahib in Punjab as talks conducted by union ministers with leaders of Morcha on Monday ended inconclusive. Section 144 has been imposed in border areas and the borders have been fortified to stop the farmers from entering into the national capital.

Though union ministers conducted talks with the farmers, protesting under the banner of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, it ended inconclusive. 

The farmers plan to head to Delhi from the Ambala-Shambhu, Khanauri-Jind and the Dabwali borders.

 Many farmers along with their tractor trolleys began the march around 10am from Fatehgarh Sahib and are moving towards Delhi via Shambhu border. Another group is moving towards the national capital from Mehal Kalan in Sangrur through the Khanauri border. 

Talking to presspersons, Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee General Secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher said, “We tried to find a solution so that we do not have to stand against the Govt. We were expecting that we would be given something. In the five-hour-long meeting yesterday, we put forward the situation in Haryana. The people of Punjab and Haryana are being tortured. It seems that both these states are not a part of India anymore, they are being treated as International border." Pandher charged farmers and relatives of every village in Haryana are being harassed. 

The farmer leader said Congress is equally responsible for farmers’ plight. “We consider Congress as guilty as BJP is. These policies have been brought by Congress; we are not Left. We are not on anyone's side, we are farmers and labourers," Pandher said. 

The protest is to press the Centre to accept their demands, including the enactment of a law to guarantee a minimum support price (MSP) for crops. Other demands include implementation of the Swaminathan Commission's formula, full debt waiver for farmers, pension for farmers and labourers and withdrawal of cases against farmers during the 2020-21 protest.  

The farmers are also demanding "justice" for victims of the Lakhimpur Kheri violence, reinstating the Land Acquisition Act 2013, withdrawal from the World Trade Organisation, and compensation for families of farmers who died during the previous agitation, among others.

Three Union Ministers were in Chandigarh on Monday to hold talks with the farmers. However, the five-hour talks ended in a stalemate. After the meeting, Union Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda told reporters that he is hopeful of reaching a breakthrough through dialogue.

 "We held extensive and exhaustive deliberations with the farmers on every issue. The government is engaged in a dialogue with all the stakeholders and wants to resolve all disputes through talks. We reached a broad consensus on some of the issues of contention raised. However, on some other issues, we suggested that a committee be put together in the interest of a permanent solution. Any issue of contention could be resolved through talks," Munda said.