Farmers’ Demands for Fair Crop Prices Gain Momentum
Union Ministers to Hold Third Round of Talks with Farmers’ Leaders Amid Stand-off at Haryana, Punjab Borders. In the ongoing Delhi Chalo protest, three Union ministers are set to engage in discussions with farmers’ leaders in Chandigarh for the third round of talks. This development comes amidst the stand-off persisting at the borders of Haryana and Punjab.
Major farmers’ unions have thrown their support behind the protesting farmer unions at Shambhu border and Khanauri border in Punjab. Notably, the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan) and BKU Dakaunda (Dhaner faction) have announced a ‘rail roko’ (train stoppage) in Punjab on Thursday, February 15, between 12 noon and 4 pm. The Samyukt Kisan Morcha, representing 37 farm unions, has also backed the ongoing protests, with demands primarily focused on securing a minimum support price (MSP) for crops.
The involvement of these unions underscores their dissatisfaction with the “condemnable use of violence” against farmers, with BKU (Ugrahan) general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokri Kalan condemning police actions.
Expressing solidarity, Sukhdev Singh Kokri Kalan affirmed, “We stand with them in solidarity. To prove it, our supporters will hold rail roko (train stoppage) at as many places as we can.” The organization plans to block train tracks in Punjab between 12 pm and 4 pm on Thursday, preceding the larger nationwide strike scheduled for February 16.