Centre Seeks To Break Deadlock With New MSP Plan, Farmers Put 'Delhi Chalo' On Hold

After the central government proposed a new plan for the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops, farmer leaders announced a two-day study of the proposal and put the Delhi Chalo march on hold.

Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Minister Arjun Munda, Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal, and Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai held a fourth round of talks with farmer leaders in Chandigarh on Sunday over their demands, including a legal guarantee of MSP, as thousands of protesting farmers camped at the Punjab-Haryana border.

Goyal stated that the panel proposed government agencies buying pulses, maize, and cotton crops at MSP for five years after agreeing with farmers. "Cooperative societies like the NCCF and NAFED will enter into contracts with farmers growing 'tur dal', 'urad dal', 'masoor dal', or maize to buy their crop at MSP for the next five years," Goyal said after the meeting. "There will be no limit on the quantity purchased, and a portal will be developed for this," he added.

The farmer leaders said they would discuss the government's proposal in their forums over the next two days and decide the future course of action thereafter. Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said, "We will discuss in our forums on February 19-20 and take the opinion of experts regarding it and accordingly take a decision." A discussion on loan waivers and other demands is pending, and we hope these will be resolved in the next two days, Pandher said, adding that the 'Delhi Chalo' march is currently on hold but will resume at 11 am on February 21 if all issues are not resolved.

"On the proposal given by the government, we will discuss in our respective forums and also with our experts, maybe by tomorrow (Feb 19) or day after tomorrow (Feb 20). On the pending demands, the government said it will deliberate. Since the government has come up with a proposal, our program of going to Delhi at 11 am on February 21 has been put on standby. Both us and the government will try to find a resolution through talks. If due to some reason it doesn't happen, then we will request the government to let us go to Delhi peacefully," Pandher said.

The Union ministers and farmer leaders had met earlier on February 8, 12, and 15, but the talks remained inconclusive. 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. The call for the march was given by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha to press their demands.

Besides a legal guarantee of MSP, the farmers are demanding the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission's recommendations, pension for farmers and farm laborers, 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 the farmers who died during a previous agitation in 2020-21.