Farmers’ protest: Third round of talks today; no fresh attempt to move ahead till meeting outcome

Farmers’ protest: The central government and farmer leaders are gearing up for a third round of discussions amid the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march that started on February 13. Union ministers Arjun Munda, Piyush Goyal, and Nityanand Rai are set to meet the union leaders at 5 pm in Chandigarh to address their issues, including guaranteeing of Minimum Support Price, loan waivers and implementation of the Swaminathan Commission recommendations.

The two sides had previously discussed the issues on February 8 and 12 but the outcome remained inconclusive.  

Farmers from Punjab are camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders of Punjab and Haryana and are aiming to reach Delhi to force the Centre to agree to their terms. However, they have said that no fresh attempt to move ahead will be made till the meeting is held.

The next course of action will be decided based on the outcome of the meeting.

Farmers unions Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) and BKU Dakaunda (Dhaner) have announced 'rail roko' in Punjab on Thursday. The protesting farmers are planning to sit on rail tracks at multiple locations from 12 noon to 4 pm to protest the hurling of tear gas and water cannons against the farmers at Shambhu and Khanauri borders. Meanwhile, security personnel faced stone-pelting from protesting farmers.

Samyukta Kisan Morcha has also decided to hold protests at toll plazas from 11am to 2pm. 

Haryana Police have sealed the border with barricades to stop farmers from entering Delhi on their tractor trolleys. 

Farmers at the Shambhu border near Ambala also took to flying kites hoping to bring down drones deployed by Haryana Police to drop tear gas shells near the border.

Delhi Police, on the other hand, warned of heavy traffic on the DND Flyway due to increased security checks and advised commuters to seek alternative routes. 

Also read: Farmers' protest: Delhi Police issues fresh traffic advisory, says Singhu border is inaccessible