Chandigarh, March 3: As the meeting between Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and protesting farmer unions under the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) “remained inconclusively” on Monday over their demands, the latter announced to go ahead with the March 5 indefinite protest in Chandigarh, including scheme to wave off farm loans.
The meeting here didn’t yield any result, but escalated tensions as farmers accused Chief Minister Mann of walking out midway and allegedly attempting to intimidate them. After the talks, SKM leaders, including Joginder Singh Ugrahan and Balbir Singh Rajewal, expressed dissatisfaction.
They said this was the first time in history that a Chief Minister had directly attempted to threaten farmers during a meeting. “He (CM Mann) didn’t listen to our complete list of demands and walked away,” Joginder Singh Ugrahan, President of the BKU Ekta Ugrahan, told the media.
Another farmer leader, Balbir Singh Rajewal said the farmers had only listed eight of their 18 demands when the Chief Minister left the meeting that lasted less than two hours. Chief Minister Mann had appealed to the farmers not to resort to road blockades and protests, citing negative impact on the state’s economy.
The farmer leaders said Chief Minister Mann agreed to one demand that is, advancing the procurement of paddy to June 1. However, on other key issues he (Punjab Chief Minister) reportedly tried to make any commitments. They said the Punjab Chief Minister got visibly frustrated when the farmer leaders insisted on their demands and bluntly told them, “Do whatever you want on March 5.”
The farmer leaders accused CM Mann of employing delaying tactics and failing to address their concerns effectively. They alleged that instead of offering solutions, the state government was trying to suppress their movement. The SKM has an 18-point memorandum, including the minimum support price (MSP) guarantee, introducing a scheme to wave off farm loans, besides safeguarding their interests with the new agriculture policy being framed. Farmers from across Punjab will participate in the gathering on March 5.
IANS