Farmers to stay put at Punjab-Haryana borders as deadlock persists

Protesting farmers will stay put at the two borders of Punjab and Haryana over their various demands as the deadlock persisted despite the third round of talks with a panel of Union ministers reported news agency PTIA fivehour meeting which started around 845 pm on Thursday between three Union ministers and the farmer leaders remained inconclusive reported PTIFarmers protest Next meeting on February 18The two sides will now meet on February 18 for the fourth round of talks The two previous rounds of dialogue on February 8 and 12 also remained inconclusive reported PTIUnion Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Minister Arjun Munda Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai represented the Centre at Thursdays meeting over the farmer unions various demands including a law guaranteeing a minimum support price MSP for crops reported PTIPunjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema also joined the meeting at the Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration in Sector 26 here reported PTIFarmers protest Samyukta Kisan Morcha and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha have given a Delhi Chalo callThe Samyukta Kisan Morcha NonPolitical and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha have given a Delhi Chalo call to press the BJPled central government to accept their demandsSpeaking to reporters after the meeting Union Minister Munda said the meeting between the government and the farmer leaders took place in a cordial atmosphere reported PTIThere was a positive discussion he saidThe talks will continue and will now take place on Sunday at 6 pm he saidWe will find a solution by sitting together he added reported PTIMann said a detailed discussion took place between farmer leaders and the ministersThere was a detailed discussion on each issue he said reported PTIFarmers protest Internet services suspendedMann said he raised with the Centre the issue of suspension of internet services in certain areas in Sangrur Patiala and Fatehgarh Sahib and that of Haryana security personnel using a drone to drop tear gas shells on protesters inside Punjabs territory reported PTIFarmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said a detailed discussion was held on their demands including a legal guarantee for MSP and a debt waiver reported PTIThey Union ministers said they need time said Pandher reported PTIWe want that there should be a positive result and any confrontation should be avoided Otherwise our programme to go to Delhi stands he said reported PTIResponding to a question on whether farmers will stay put at the PunjabHaryana borders Pandher said Yes reported PTIDuring the meeting with the Union ministers the farmer leaders took exception to the suspension of the social media accounts of various leadersPandher said they also raised the issue of tear gas shelling by the paramilitary forces on farmers at the Shambhu and Khanuri bordersHe said they showed the shells to the ministers during the meetingFarmers from Punjab began their march to the national capital on Tuesday but were stopped by security personnel at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Delhi and HaryanaThe protesting farmers have been camping at the border points reported PTIOn Tuesday farmers mainly from Punjab had clashed with Haryana Police at two border points between the states facing tear gas and water cannons as they tried to break the barricadesBesides a legal guarantee on MSP the farmers are demanding the implementation of the Swaminathan Commissions recommendations pension for farmers and farm labourers farm debt waiver withdrawal of police cases and justice for the victims of the Lakhimpur Kheri violence reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act 2013 and compensation to the families of the farmers who died during a previous agitation in 202021With inputs from PTI