The fourth round of talks between the three Union Ministers — Piyush Goel, Arjun Munda, and Nityanand Rai — and farmer representatives on Sunday, according to sources, made headway, and both sides are believed to form a committee with maximum participation from the protesters for further negotiations on the crisis.

Till the reports were being filed, the meeting was underway at a hotel in Chandigarh, and sources said in the last two hours of the meeting, the atmosphere was “friendly”.

Sources said the farmers’ representatives, however, had decided not to budge from their demand, while the Government side decided not to come under undue pressure, and a middle path had to be worked upon.

The meeting was amid hundreds of farmers putting up at Shambhu and Khanauri at Haryana Punjab borders. The two sides — Ministers and farmer leaders — had met earlier on February 8, 12, and 15, but talks remained inconclusive.

The meeting started at 8.30 pm and continued until late at night, filing the report. Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Minister Arjun Munda and Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal went to a hotel where Punjab Chief Secretary Anurag Verma and Director-General of Police Gaurav Yadav were present.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann also joined the meeting. The farmer leaders who attended the meeting include Jagjit Singh Dallewal, Sarwan Singh Pandher, Surjit Singh Phul, Jaswinder Singh Longowal, Satnam Singh Bargarian, Amarjeet Singh Mohri, Abhimanyu Kohar, Ramandeep Singh Mann, Gurdas Singh Lakadwal, Kurbur Shanta Kumar, Maninder Singh, Malkeet Singh, Sukhdev Singh Bhoj, and Onkar Singh.

Ahead of the farmers’ meeting with three Union ministers, farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal on Sunday said the Centre should not dilly-dally and accept the demands of farmers before the model code of conduct comes into force.

The situation at the Delhi-Haryana borders remained by and large peaceful while tension prevailed at the two border points - Shambhu and Khanauri.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha also decided to gherao the residences of BJP leaders in Punjab for three days starting from Tuesday. Balbir Singh Rajewal, a leader of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of various farmer unions, said they will stage protests in front of the residences of Punjab BJP leaders, including MPs, MLAs, and district presidents, from Tuesday to Thursday.

“We want to tell the Government that it should avoid the policy of dilly-dallying,” Dallewal told reporters at the Shambhu border point. If the Government thinks it will continue to hold meetings till the code of conduct is imposed, and then say it cannot do anything as the code is in force... Farmers are not going to return,” he said.

“The Government should find a solution to our demands before the code of conduct comes into force,” Dallewal said.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Home Affairs on Sunday ordered that the suspension of internet services has been extended in certain areas of some Punjab districts, including Patiala, Sangrur, and Fatehgarh Sahib, till February 24. Earlier, internet services were suspended from February 12 to 16 in view of the farmers’ ‘Delhi Chalo’ march.

According to the Ministry’s February 16 order, internet services will remain suspended in areas falling under Shambhu, Julkan, Passian, Patran, Shatrana, Samana, Ghanaur, Devigarh, and Balbhera police stations in Patiala; Lalru police station in Mohali; Sangat police station in Bathinda; Killianwali police station in Muktsar; Sardulgarh and Boha police stations in Mansa; and Khanauri, Moonak, Lehra, Sunam, and Chajli police stations in Sangrur; and areas under Fatehgarh Sahib police station.

The Centre used its special powers under the Telegraph Act of 1885 to suspend internet services in these areas of Punjab.

“In exercise of the power conferred by section 7 of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 read with Sub-rule 1 of Rule 2 of the Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Safety) Rules 2017, and in the interest of maintaining public safety and averting public emergency, it is necessary and expedient to order, the temporary suspension of internet services from 00:00 hrs on February 17, 2024, to 23:59 hrs on February 24, 2024, in the following areas,” the order read.