Farmers participating in the 'Delhi Chalo' agitation rebuffed the Centre's offer to procure pulses, maize, and cotton at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for a five-year term on Monday, February 19, denouncing it as against their interests. They have declared their intention to proceed with their march towards the national capital on Wednesday, February 21.
According to PTI, speaking on behalf of the farmers, their leader Sarwan Singh Pandher asserted, "We appeal to the government to either resolve our issues or remove barricades and allow us to proceed to Delhi to protest peacefully."
This rejection follows the fourth round of talks between farmer representatives and a panel of three Union ministers, where the government proposed the procurement of pulses, maize, and cotton crops by government agencies at MSP for the next five years, subject to an agreement with the farmers.
However, the farmers, represented by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, rejected the proposition, deeming it an attempt to 'divert and dilute' their primary demand for MSP, adding that they will accept nothing less than the 'C-2 plus 50%' formula for MSP as recommended in the Swaminathan Commission report.
(C2 is the cost of production and is equal to the “paid out cost plus imputed value of family labour plus rental value of owned land and interest on fixed capital.)
Jagjit Singh Dallewal, a leader of SKM (Non-Political), according to PTI, affirmed, "After deliberation in our forums, it has been concluded that the Centre's proposal does not serve the interests of farmers, and hence, we refuse it."
Regarding their planned march to Delhi, Sarwan Singh Pandher confirmed, "We will move to Delhi peacefully at 11 am on February 21."
Earlier, Union Minister Piyush Goyal, following the discussions with farmer leaders on Sunday, Fabruary 18, outlined the proposal, stating that cooperative societies would engage in contracts with farmers for the purchase of certain crops at MSP for the next five years.
“Cooperative societies like the National Cooperative Consumers Federation and National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India will enter into a contract with farmers who grow 'tur dal’, 'urad dal’, 'masoor dal’ or maize for buying their crop at MSP for the next five years.”
“There will be no limit on the quantity (purchased), and a portal will be developed for this,” he had said. Goyal had also proposed that the Cotton Corporation of India would buy cotton from farmers at MSP for five years after entering into a legal agreement with them.
Farmer leaders after the meeting had said they would discuss the government's proposal in their forums on Monday and Tuesday and thereafter decide the next course of action.
The protesting farmers have maintained their presence at Shambhu and Khanauri points on Punjab's border with Haryana, after their initial attempt to march towards Delhi was thwarted by security forces, resulting in clashes last week.
Their demands include a legal guarantee of MSP, 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.
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