Farm leaders reject govt proposal on MSP, to march to Delhi on Feb 21

Chandigarh: A day after a meeting with Union ministers, farmer leaders taking part in the 'Delhi Chalo' agitation on Monday rejected the Centre's proposal of procuring five crops at MSP, saying it wasn't in farmers' interest and announced that they will march towards the national capital on February 21.

Earlier, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), which spearheaded the 2020-21 farmers' stir, rejected the government's offer.

In the fourth round of talks with farmer leaders on Sunday, a panel of three Union ministers proposed buying of pulses, maize and cotton crops by government agencies at minimum support price (MSP) for five years after entering into an agreement with farmers.

Earlier on Monday, farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said farmers will hold a discussion on the Centre's proposal but will not budge from their demand for a law guaranteeing MSP.

Later in the day, Jagjit Singh Dallewal, a leader of SKM (Non-Political) that is spearheading the 'Delhi Chalo' march along with the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, said, "After holding a discussion in our two forums, it has been decided that the Centre's proposal is not in the interest of farmers and we reject this proposal." When asked if their call for the march to Delhi still stands, Pandher said, "We will move to Delhi peacefully at 11 am on February 21." "We appeal to the government that either resolve our issues or remove barricades and allow us to proceed to Delhi to protest peacefully," he said.

Protesting farmers from Punjab have been camping at Shambhu and Khanauri points on the state's border with Haryana since February 13 when their 'Delhi Chalo' march was halted by police.

Besides a legal guarantee of MSP, farmers are also demanding the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission's recommendations, pension for farmers and farm labourers, farm debt waiver, no hike in electricity tariff, withdrawal of police cases and "justice" for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence, reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, and compensation to the families of farmers who died during a previous agitation in 2020-21.

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal, Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Minister Arjun Munda, and Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai held the fourth round of talks with the farmer leaders over their demands.

Talking to the media after the more than four-hour-long meeting on Sunday, Goyal had said, "Cooperative societies like the NCCF (National Cooperative Consumers Federation) and NAFED (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India) will enter into a contract with those farmers who grow tur dal, urad dal, masoor dal or maize for buying their crop at MSP for next five years." "There will be no limit on the quantity (purchased) and a portal will be developed for this," he said.

It was also proposed that the Cotton Corporation of India will buy cotton from farmers at MSP for five years after entering into a legal agreement with them, Goyal said.

However, the minister had underlined that the other demands of the farmers were "deep and policy-driven" and it was not possible to find a resolution without an in-depth discussion.

In a statement on Monday, the SKM rejected the Centre's offer, saying the proposal seeks to "divert and dilute" the farmers' demand for MSP with 'C-2 plus 50 per cent' formula (all costs including imputed costs of family labour, owned capital and rental on land) recommended by the Swaminathan Commission.

Nothing less than MSP for all crops with guaranteed procurement is acceptable to the farmers, it said.

"If the Modi government is unable to implement the promise made by the BJP, then let the prime minister honestly tell that to the people," said the SKM, which is an umbrella body of various farmer unions.

It also asked the government why it was silent on farmers' other demands.

The SKM condemned the police action against protesting farmers at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points.

Haryana Police had on Friday fired tear gas shells to disperse protesting farmers when they moved towards the barricades at the Shambhu border near Ambala. There were clashes between the farmers and police personnel on the first two days of the protest as well.

SKM Haryana demanded the release of detained farmers and restoration of mobile internet services in seven districts of the state in the wake of farmers' 'Delhi Chalo' call.

It also announced that it will hold protests at BJP offices in the state on February 21.

The Haryana government on Saturday extended the ban on mobile internet and bulk SMS services in seven districts till February 19.

In Kurukshetra, Haryana BKU (Charuni) chief Gurnam Singh Charuni demanded that the Centre also include oilseeds and bajra in its proposal.

He also said that Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar should also attend meetings between Union ministers and farmer leaders like his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann as protests are taking place on the borders of his state as well.

During Sunday's meeting, Mann batted for a legal guarantee for MSP for crops to safeguard the interests of farmers.