Farmers participating in the 'Delhi Chalo' agitation have rebuffed the government's proposal to procure pulses, maize, and cotton at Minimum Support Price (MSP) by government agencies for a span of five years. Declaring it as not conducive to the farmers' interests, they have announced their intention to march towards the national capital on Wednesday.
Addressing reporters at the Shambhu point of Punjab's border with Haryana, Sarwan Singh Pandher, a leader of Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, emphasized, "We appeal to the government that either resolve our issues or remove barricades and allow us to proceed to Delhi to protest peacefully."
During the fourth round of talks with farmer representatives, a panel of three Union ministers had proposed the procurement of pulses, maize, and cotton crops by government agencies at MSP for a five-year term, subject to an agreement with farmers.
Earlier on Monday, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, leading the 2020-21 farmers' agitation, rejected the government's proposition, labeling it as an attempt to divert and dilute their demand for MSP. They reiterated their stance on the 'C-2 plus 50 per cent' formula for MSP, as recommended by the Swaminathan Commission report.
Jagjit Singh Dallewal, a leader of SKM (Non-Political), co-leading the 'Delhi Chalo' march alongside Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, declared, "After holding discussions in our two forums, it has been decided that the Centre's proposal is not in the interest of farmers and we reject this proposal."
When questioned about their plan to march to Delhi, Pandher confirmed, "We will proceed to Delhi peacefully at 11 am on February 21." He urged the government to take decisive actions, expressing a lack of necessity for further discussions.
Elaborating on the reasons for declining the government's proposal, Dallewal stated, "We did not find anything in the proposal." He highlighted that during the talks, Union Ministers had mentioned an additional burden of Rs 1.50 lakh crore on the exchequer if a guarantee on pulse purchases was provided.
Dallewal further emphasized the need for MSP assurance across all crops, criticizing the current proposal's limited scope for certain crops. He stressed that farmers wouldn't reap benefits from such measures and demanded MSP for all 23 crops, as per CACP recommendations.
In response to the discussions with farmer leaders, Union minister Piyush Goyal outlined plans for cooperative societies to engage in contracts with farmers for the purchase of specific crops at MSP over the next five years, ensuring no limit on quantity and the development of a dedicated portal.
Protesting farmers, stationed at Shambhu and Khanauri points on Punjab's border with Haryana, have persisted with their 'Delhi Chalo' march to press for various demands, including a legal guarantee of MSP, implementation of Swaminathan Commission's recommendations, pension for farmers and farm laborers, farm debt waiver, among others.
