Farmers' Delhi March On But Talks To Continue Amid Bharat Bandh Call

The protesting farmers will continue their march to Delhi but hold another round of talks on Sunday. The decision came at a third round of talks late last night even as Friday looks forward to a nationwide strike over the farmers' issue.

The meeting in Chandigarh was held amid a standoff on the Punjab-Haryana borders as thousands of farmers marching to Delhi were met with tear gas and water cannons by the cops. The protesters' demands mainly include a law guaranteeing a minimum support price (MSP) for crops and a farm law waiver, among others.

Two Union Ministers - Arjun Munda and Piyush Goyal - and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann attended the meeting. Following the meeting, Arjun Munda, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, told reporters the issues will be discussed in detail at the 6 pm meeting on Sunday, during which the two sides will try to find a solution.

Bhagwant Mann said they had a very positive conversation and a consensus was reached on several issues. The farmers have assured they would maintain peace during their protest, he said while accusing the Haryana government of sending their cops into Punjab during the standoff.

The farmers say they will continue their march to Delhi and that no conclusion can be drawn since the talks are still on. They also took up the issues of police action on them and their social media pages were taken down.

The farmers said the government has sought further discussion on issues like the MSP and farm loan waiver, but discussions must also lead to timely solutions. "We said that we should not just keep discussing the issues, we should also find solutions. They said they need time," said Sarwan Pandher, a farmer leader.

Gatherings have been banned in Noida because of a 'Bharat Bandh' called by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, a major farmers' organization involved in the 2020-21 farmers' protest, and Central Trade Unions. These organisations are not part of the 'Delhi Chalo' march, but broadly their demands are the same.

The organisations have called on farmers to suspend all agricultural work between 6 am-4 pm on Friday and stage road blockades across the country. The senior leaders of nine Central Trade Unions will also hold a joint protest at Jantar Mantar over 21 demands, which include a law on MSP, minimum pension, and minimum wage.

Unauthorised gatherings are banned in Noida and other parts of Gautam Buddh Nagar district