New Delhi: Farmers from Punjab on Thursday met with Union Ministers Piyush Goyal, Nityanand Rai, Arjun Munda, and Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann in Chandigarh.


The farmers are preparing for the ‘Delhi Chalo’ agitation on February 13 to press for demands, including the enactment of a law to guarantee a minimum support price for crops and implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations.


Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher said Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann coordinated with them to arrange the meeting with the central team.




After the meeting concluded, SKM (Non-Political) leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal said, "We had a meeting with the Government today. The meeting was held in a positive atmosphere, Punjab Govt took the initiative. We presented all our demands in detail, with facts...The government listened to us & said that they will examine all our facts seriously...Our program for 13th February will continue as it is. Government has assured us that there will be another meeting soon. If the Government convenes a meeting before the 13th and resolves our issues, it is fine. Otherwise our program for the 13th will continue as it is..."



 

Sarwan Singh Pandher said, "Each of the farmer leaders spoke with facts on all our 10 demands. The Ministers said that the Government will deliberate on those demands. We will get to know about the Government's decision in the time to come. As far as our march to Delhi on 13th February is concerned, it will continue as it is...Government wants to continue the dialogue, we said that our doors are always open..."





The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha had announced the 'Delhi Chalo' march by more than 200 farmers' unions on February 13 to press the Centre to accept several demands, including enactment of a law to guarantee a minimum support price (MSP) for crops.


Dallewal had earlier said three central ministers will hold a meeting with them in Chandigarh. "We have come here. We do not run away from the meeting," said Dallewal.


He said one of their main demands included a legal guarantee for the MSP which had been "promised" by the Centre earlier.


Besides a legal guarantee for the MSP, the farmers are also demanding the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission's recommendations, pensions for farmers and farm labourers, farm debt waiver, withdrawal of police cases and "justice" for victims of the Lakhimpur Kheri violence.