21 March,2023 07:23 AM IST | New Delhi | Agencies
A farmer shows hailstone after his crop was damaged by heavy storm, in Jaipur, on Monday. Farmers have also demanded compensation for crop damage due to hailstorm and unseasonal rain across India. Pic/PTI
Just five kilometres away from Parliament, thousands of farmers gathered at the iconic Ramlila Maidan here on Monday demanding that the Centre fulfil the "written commitments" it made to them in December 2021.
The farmers converged under the banner of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), a group of farmer unions that led around over a yearlong agitation at Delhi borders and forced the Centre to withdraw the farm laws.
Their demands include a legal guarantee on the minimum support price (MSP), withdrawal of cases against farmers, compensation to families of farmers who died during the protest, pension, debt waiver and withdrawal of the Electricity Bill.
SKM said it would be forced to launch another protest if the Centre does not fulfil its demands. A 15-member SKM delegation met with Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and submitted a demand charter, farmer leader Darshan Pal said.
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"There are several unresolved issues and these demand another âandolan'. We will convene another meeting on April 30 in Delhi. I ask all farmers unions to take out rallies in their respective states and hold panchayats in the run-up to the meeting," he said.
"We do not want to protest daily but we are forced to do it. If the government does not heed our demands, we will launch another andolan which will be bigger than the protest against the farm laws," he said.
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