New Delhi: The Centre has agreed to meet protesting farmers in Chandigarh on February 14 to discuss their demands, including a legal guarantee on the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops. The development came as the farmers from Punjab have been protesting on the Punjab-Haryana border since February 2024, after they were stopped from proceeding to Delhi.
After the Centre’s announcement, farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal agreed to receive medical aid. He has been on a fast-unto-death for over 50 days. Dallewal, through one of his representative said that he will continue his hunger strike until their demands are met.
How the breakthrough was achieved?
According to farmer leader Abhimanyu Kohar, officials have said February 14 has been fixed for the meeting as assembly polls are due in Delhi and the Model Code of Conduct will be in force in the capital till February 9, a report by PTI mentioned.
The breakthrough came after a delegation of officials from the Union agriculture ministry, led by Joint Secretary Priya Ranjan, met Dallewal and held a meeting with the representatives of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), which are spearheading the agitation for the last 11 months.
Talking to reporters at the Khanauri protest site, Ranjan said a high-level delegation was sent by the Centre, keeping in mind the deteriorating health of Dallewal. “We enquired about his health and held a meeting with the representatives (of the protesting farmer bodies),” he said. “We urged Dallewal to break his fast and take medical aid, so that he can participate in the meeting,” he said.
Letter by Joint Secretary Priya Ranjan
Ranjan read out a letter that was addressed to Dallewal, SKM and KMM: “This is in continuation of the previous meeting with the leaders of SKM (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), which was held on February 15, 2024 at Chandigarh.
“A meeting with the ministers of the government of India and the Punjab government regarding the demands of the farmers’ unions has been convened on February 14, 2025 (5 pm) at the Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration Punjab (MGSIPA), Sector-26, Chandigarh. You are cordially invited to the meeting, please attend at the scheduled time. We hope that Dallewal will soon end his fast, recover and join the discussion.”
