Chandigarh: The central government should not delay in accepting farmer demands until the model code of conduct is implemented, farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal said ahead of a meeting with a panel of Union ministers here on Sunday. The Lok Sabha election results are expected to be announced next month.
Three Union ministers and farmer leaders will meet here to discuss their demands, which include a legal guarantee of a minimum support price for crops and a farm debt waiver.The meeting takes place as thousands of farmers camp at the Shambhu and Khanauri points on the Punjab-Haryana border, with layers of barricades and a large number of security personnel halting their protest march to the national capital.
Ministers and farmer leaders had previously met on February 8, 12, and 15, but talks had been inconclusive.
‘Farmers Will Not Return…’: Jagjit Singh Dallewal
“We want to tell the government to avoid the policy of dilly-dallying,” Dallewal told reporters at the Shambhu border crossing. If the government believes it will continue to hold meetings until the code of conduct is imposed and then claim it cannot do anything because the code is in effect, farmers will not return, he stated.”The government should find a solution to our demands before the code of conduct comes into force,” Dallewal said in a statement.
He stated that the meeting will begin at 5:30 pm.He stated that the agitation was not sponsored by any political party and reiterated the demands for an ordinance providing a legal guarantee to MSP for crops, implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations, and debt waiver.
“The government will still call a session again if its intentions are clean,” he said, referring to a session in Parliament to address the issues. Another farmer leader, Surjit Singh Phool, accused the Centre of failing to deliver on its promises to release detained farmers and restore internet service in certain areas of Punjab, as well as farmer leaders’ social media accounts.
Union Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Minister Arjun Munda, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, and Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai will attend the meeting with farmer leaders.Farmers participating in the ‘Delhi Chalo’ agitation, which entered its sixth day on Sunday, are also demanding pensions for farmers and farm labourers, as well as the withdrawal of police cases.