The crucial meeting between the Punjab Government and the agitating farmers on Monday evening ended without any consensus on the prevailing farming crisis in the state. After hours long meeting with the Chief Minister, the farmers held another meeting to decide on their future course of action.
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal chaired the meeting, which was attended by the state Chief Secretary Sarvesh Kaushal, the Director General of Police (DGP) Sumedh Singh Saini, and the Additional Chief Secretary (Development) Suresh Kumar, among other SAD leaders.
The farmers were represented by eight leaders including Sukhdev Singh Khokhri and Ruldu Singh Mansa.
The farmers’ organisations, till the filing of this report, were holding their meeting at Kisan Bhawan. Farmers had earlier stated that they will take a call on whether to extend or end their ‘rail roko’ protest only after the meeting.
It has been learnt that the State Government has not accepted the main demands of the farmers.
The farmers across the State have been protesting since past six days disrupting rail services. The agitation has resulted in cancellation of more than 330 trains in Ferozepur division and around 150 in Ambala division.
They are demanding compensation of Rs40,000 per acre for loss to their cotton crop due to the whitefly attack besides Rs4,500 minimum support price (MSP) per quintal for the 1509 basmati variety and Rs5,000 for the 1,121 variety, waiver of debts, additional relief package of Rs5 lakh to economically weaker families and immediate clearance of cane growers’ dues.
Available information suggests that the Chief Minister made every possible effort to appease the protesting farmers by assuring to take up the issues with the Central Government, which, on the face of it, failed to go down well with the farmers.
The farmers’ leaders, who attended the meeting, left the venue without speaking any word with the media present outside the Punjab Bhawan, the venue of the meeting.
Protesters are up in arms against the ‘anti-farmer’ policies of the SAD-BJP government, which has been accused of paying inadequate compensation for the widespread loss to cotton crop due to the whitefly attack in the Malwa belt.
The SAD-BJP Government is facing flak from all corners, including political opponents such as the Congress and the AAP, for not being able to pacify the protesters.