Union Ministers in Chandigarh for 4th round of talks with farmers

A team of three Union ministers – Piyush Goyal, Arjun Munda, and Nityanand Rai – arrived in Chandigarh on Sunday evening to hold a fourth round of talks with farmer leaders. The Central ministers first held an informal meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann at a hotel in Sector 17 before starting deliberations with the farmer leaders regarding the ongoing protest.

The Punjab unit of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) has called for a day and night mass protest against MPs, MLAs, and district presidents of the BJP from February 20 to 22. The previous round of talks remained inconclusive as the farmers’ demands for a legal guarantee of the minimum support price (MSP) of their crops were not addressed.

The protests have continued as the third round of talks was also inconclusive despite Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s role as an intermediary between the farmers and Union ministers. Union Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda stated after the last round of talks that discussions had been positive and that a fourth round of talks would take place on the following Sunday.

Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher emphasized the demand for a legal guarantee to MSP, a key demand of the farmers currently camping at the Shambhu and the Khanauri points of the Punjab-Haryana border. Additionally, the ban on Internet services has been extended for two more days in Haryana until February 19, following an earlier extension till February 15.

The ongoing talks between Union ministers and farmer leaders in Chandigarh are crucial as they aim to address the demands of the protesters and seek a resolution to the ongoing protests. The farmers have been steadfast in their demands for a legal guarantee of MSP, and the government’s response to these demands will have a significant impact on the future of the protests. The outcome of the fourth round of talks will be closely watched as stakeholders on all sides strive for a resolution to the impasse.