Shivraj Chouhan meets farm outfits; why aren’t we invited, ask protesting farmers
Shivraj Singh Chouhan told the delegation that the Modi government was working towards a handful of objectives to boost rural prosperity,
NEW DELHI: Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday met leaders representing farmers from two ‘khap’ groups from Haryana, apart from an organisation from Chhattisgarh, as part of his programme to interact with cultivators.
Farmers representing Haryana-based Naugama Khap Kisan Sangathan in Jind, Satrol Khap Seva Samiti from Hisar and Nandal Khap in Rohtak participated in the discussions, according to a person familiar with the matter. Khaps are traditional clan-based farming communities spread across states, such as Haryana, UP and Rajasthan.
Chouhan told the delegation that the Modi government was working towards a handful of objectives to boost rural prosperity, the person cited above said. These include an increase in farm output, a reduction in cultivation costs through cheaper credit and high-yielding seeds, state-backed purchases of crops at floor prices and farm mechanisation. The delegation included representatives of Chhattisgarh’s Yuva Pragatisheel Kisan Sangh.
“During the meeting, the farmers’ organisations appreciated the central government’s work being done for agriculture and farmers’ welfare. They also submitted some important suggestions,” Chouhan said in a post on X.
The agriculture minister’s meeting came even as groups of farmers continued their protests in Haryana, demanding legally guaranteed floor prices for 23 crops. A leader from the protesting group, Sarwan Singh Pandher, said no government functionary from the Centre had reached out to them for a dialogue.
“Haryana government officials talked to us three times and then stopped meeting us. Nobody from the Centre has contacted us so far. What’s the point of the agriculture minister meeting farmer groups aligned to his party? Why doesn’t he invite us?” Pandher said.
The two main groups leading the protests – the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (Arajnaitik) and the Pandher-led Kisan Mazdoor Sangh – on Monday announced that they have halted their planned march to Delhi in anticipation of an offer to resume talks from either the Haryana government or the Union government.
On the other hand, Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who is the leader of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha and president of the influential Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Sidhupur), continued to be on a fast unto death in Punjab, which entered its 15th day on Tuesday. On November 27, Dallewal announced he had made a legal will, bequeathing his property and farms to his children because he had planned to go on an indefinite hunger strike. He has been shifted to a hospital in Ludhiana, where the administration is monitoring his health, a spokesperson of his outfit said.
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