Farmers postpone Delhi march; Sarwan Singh Pandher warns Punjab govt over forced land acquisition
PTC Web Desk: Farmers from Punjab and Haryana have decided to postpone their planned Delhi march, with farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher warning the state government against forcibly acquiring agricultural land without fair compensation. He said while the primary focus remained on the Central Government, any forced land acquisition in Punjab would face strong resistance.
Addressing the media in Amritsar on Monday, Sarwan Singh Pandher urged the Punjab Government to extend the ongoing Assembly session. He stressed the need for discussions on pressing issues such as illegal deportation of youth by fraudulent agents, drug crisis in Punjab and agricultural and economic concerns.
Pandher also called upon Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to pass a resolution in the Assembly supporting 12 key farmer demands and forward it to the Centre. He also demanded that a resolution be passed against the privatisation of agricultural markets (mandis), opposing the recent bill approved by the Centre that paves the way for private control over market yards.
On Saturday, the sixth round of talks between farmers and Central Government officials in Chandigarh ended without a resolution. Farmers remain firm on their demand for a legal guarantee of Minimum Support Price (MSP) and presented statistical data supporting their claims. However, the meeting failed to yield a consensus, and both sides agreed to reconvene on March 19.
Following the meeting, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan stated, "The discussions were positive. The Modi government remains committed to farmers' welfare. Both parties presented their respective data, which will be cross-verified before finalizing any policy."
Meanwhile, farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher reiterated that if the next meeting does not produce concrete results, the farmers will proceed with their Delhi protest on February 25.
During negotiations, the government questioned the discrepancies in statistical data provided by farmer organisations and official government records. As a result, the Centre has decided to collect and evaluate data from both sides before the next meeting.
- PTC NEWS
