By Ananya Sharma
New Delhi/Chandigarh: A day after three union ministers met the farmer leaders, urging them to identify the specific issues related to farm reform laws that could be deliberated upon, the protesting farmers refused to meet today’s deadline to submit their report to the government. Instead, the farmers demanded the government to call a special session of Parliament to repeal the three new farm laws, and enact a new law on Minimum Support Price (MSP).
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In a press conference today, the farmer leaders warned that the farmers would block Delhi’s roads if their demands were not met. Protesting farmers will continue their agitation till the three farm laws are repealed, they said.
Before the press conference, leaders of around 32 farmer organisations held a meeting around 4 pm today, which was also attended by Yogendra Yadav, Darshan Singh, Shiv Kumar along with Bhartiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait, BKU General Secretaries Yuddhvir Singh and Dharmendra Malik at the Singhu border.
Malik later told globalbihari.com that in the meeting it was decided that all farmer leaders will together go to the meet the central ministers tomorrow as per the pre-scheduled programme. Yesterday during the interactions with the farmer leaders, the government had invited them again for deliberations on Thursday.
However, dropping hint that the standoff was going to be prolonged, president of Krantikari Kisan Union Darshan Pal said that they had planned burning effigies throughout the country to register their protest against the Union government and its pro-corporate stand.
Today the farmers also tried to ‘gherao’ Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar at his official residence in Chandigarh. Police used water cannons to disperse Punjab Youth Congress workers who had jumped over the barricades in their attempt to march to Khattar’s residence. Water cannons were placed at about three kilometres distance from his home. The protesters were led by Barinder Dillon President of Punjab Youth Congress who had earlier met near Chandigarh headquarters of Congress.
The Youth Congress workers said that they were protesting against Khattar government’s move to stop farmers from participating in the “Delhi Chalo” march.
Superb Ananya💯