A day ahead of a crucial meeting of Samyukt Kisan Morcha on December 4 to decide the future course of year-long farmers’ agitation, a marathon-meeting between Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and a farmers’ delegation on Friday evening remained inconclusive.
During the two rounds of meeting which lasted for more than three hours, the State Government and eight-member farmers’ delegation could not reach a consensus on all three major demands raised by the farmers.
The three major demands of the farmers’ unions include withdrawal of cases registered against farmers during the year-long agitation against the central farm laws, providing land near Singhu border to construct a memorial for 700 martyred farmers and providing compensation and a government job for families of those farmers who died during the protest.
After the meeting, SKM leader Gurnam Singh Chaduni while talking to the mediapersons said that the two rounds of meetings with the Chief Minister have remained inconclusive. The State Government has not given us any assurance over our three major demands, he said.
Chaduni said that as of now, no invitation has been given to us for another round of meeting with the Haryana Government.The proceedings of today’s meeting will be apprised to the SKM in the meeting to be held on Saturday to decide the future course of action, he added.
Another farmers’ leader said that the State Government has rejected the demand of providing land near Singhu border to construct a memorial for 700 martyred farmers.
Notably, the farmers’ unions have claimed that more than 48000 cases have been registered against farmers in Haryana since the agitation started in November last year while the Chief Minister had said that the number given by them is vague.
The protesting farmers have been booked under sedition, attempt to murder, rioting, unlawful assembly, criminal intimidation, damage to public property among other related charges in various districts of the state.
The farmers had been camping at border points of Delhi – Singhu, Tikri (along Haryana) since November last year over the demand of repeal of three central farm laws. After the Central Government repealed the three farm laws recently, the farmers’ unions have been demanding a law on MSP, withdrawal of cases against protesting farmers among other demands.
The SKM, an umbrella body of farm unions leading protests at Delhi border points, will hold a meeting at the Singhu border on Saturday. Besides taking the decision on the future of the ongoing agitation, the farmer leaders will also take decision on whether to send five names to the Centre for a panel on MSP .
