New Delhi: A day after the farmers’ leaders rejected the Centre's proposal for procuring pulses, maize and cotton at MSP by government agencies for five years, farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher demanded that the Centre convene a day-long Parliament session to bring legislation on MSP for all crops, a key demand of protesting farmers. He also asked the Centre to accept the other main demands of the farmers, including the farm loan waiver.
Pandher, who represents the Kisan Manzdoor Morcha, said: “We demand that a law to guarantee the MSP be brought. If the Prime Minister has the will power, a day-long session of Parliament can be convened. No Opposition party will oppose it… We demand that all Opposition parties make their stand clear that if the Centre brings a law on MSP, they will vote for it. Be it the Shiromani Akali Dal or the Congress -- they should make their stand clear. The Trinamul Congress, led by Mamata Banerjee, and other parties should also make their stand clear,” he added.
Meanwhile, thousands of protesters camping at two borders of Punjab and Haryana are all set to march towards Delhi on Wednesday. Reports suggest that a large number of farmers from neighbouring Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan are also planning to join the protesting farmers from Punjab for the “Delhi Chalo” march on February 21.
The security at the borders has been further tightened to ensure that protesters do not forcibly enter the national capital.
The protesting farmers, seeking a legal guarantee on the MSP for all crops, the implementation of the formula as recommended by the Swaminathan Commission and loan waiver, have been staying put at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana, after their “Delhi Chalo” march was stopped by security forces. The farmers began their march on February 13 but were stopped by the security forces, which led to clashes at the border points.
Criticising the protesting farmers camping at the Shambhu border, the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday observed that tractor trolleys can’t be used on highways. The bench of Acting Chief Justice G.S. Sandhawalia and Justice Lapita Banerji also questioned the Punjab government for allowing the assembly of farmers in such large numbers.
According to the Motor Vehicles Act, “you can’t use tractor-trolleys on the highway. You are travelling from Amritsar to Delhi on trolleys,” the bench remarked, underlining that “everyone knows about rights but there are constitutional duties” as well.
During the hearing, the Punjab and Haryana governments have submitted status reports on the situation on the ground. The court, while fixing the next date of hearing for next week, sought a report on the outcome of parleys with the farmers by the adjourned date.
Four rounds of talks of farmers’ leaders with the Centre have failed so far, even as the Union ministers met the farmers in Chandigarh in the presence of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar, Meanwhile, accused Mann of jeopardising the efforts of both the farmer leaders and the Centre to arrive at a solution. Mann, who heads the AAP government in the state, joined the meeting between the Union ministers and farmers’ leaders on Sunday. It is “most unfortunate” that the negotiations between the farmers and the Centre have not fructified, he said.
The BJP leader claimed that now, not only would Mann be able to show the Centre in a “bad light”, but also succeed in redirecting the farmers, who initially wanted to march to Chandigarh, to Delhi. “Sure enough, he has succeeded in this mission by jeopardising the sincere efforts of both the farmers and the Central ministerial team to arrive at a solution,” he said.
The Congress claimed that protesting farmers have rejected another “false offer” as they have understood the government’s “mischief” and asserted it is committed to providing legal guarantee of the MSP and take other necessary steps to provide justice to the tillers. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the legal guarantee for MSP will not make the Indian farmers a burden on the Budget but ensure they become the drivers of GDP growth. He claimed that “lies” are being spread that the MSP guarantee is not feasible under the government's budget.
In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi claimed that ever since the Congress resolved to provide legal guarantee for the MSP, “Modi's propaganda machinery and media friendly to him have spread a barrage of lies on MSP.”
