After Mann walked out of last meet, govt invites SKM for fresh dialogue today

The Budget session of Punjab Vidhan Sabha is starting on Friday.

The SKM and the BKU (Ugrahan) were not part of the protests at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points that were spearheaded by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha.

SKM leader Dr Darshan Pal confirmed that they have got an invite for talks.

During the last meeting with the SKM leaders on March 3, ahead of their Chandigarh Chalo call for March 5, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had walked out midway. Several SKM leaders were detained before they could start the march to Chandigarh. Mann had later said that he had left the meeting as the farmer leaders were insisting on the march even as he was engaging in a dialogue with them.

The SKM and BKU (Ugrahan), meanwhile, have given a fresh call for a march to Chandigarh on March 26. They have announced that they will march to the Vidhan Sabha on the day the government will present its budget for the next fiscal.

While the SKM leaders said that they would be going for the meeting. “As of now, we are going for the meeting. If there is any change in the decision, then we will announce it Friday,” said a farmer leader.

He added that there were concerns that the government may detain the farmers leaders as was done to SKM and Kisan MAzdoor Morcha leaders on Thursday when they were returning from their meeting with union ministers in Chandigarh.

Also, there are concerns that the government was trying to divide the farmer organisations as it fears there may be a call for unity after crackdown on SKM (non political) and KMM. “We understand this design. First, we were detained. Yesterday, SKM (non-political) and KMM leaders were detained. Now, suddenly, they have called us again for a meeting after the CM walked out of the meeting. We will consider all this,” said the leader. The SKM, which had led the 2020 agitation against the now-repealed three farm laws, is demanding implementation of the state’s agricultural policy, purchase of six crops at MSP by the state government, a legal framework for debt relief after coordinating with the Centre, ownership rights of land tillers and payment of sugarcane arrears.

It is also pressing for stopping “forcible” acquisition of land for the Bharatmala projects, jobs, compensation for kin of farmers who lost lives during the farmers’ stir in 2020-21, revoking policy of installing prepaid electricity meters, resolving issue of stray animals and curbing black marketing of fertilizers and spurious seeds.