Round 2 of talks ends in deadlock, farmers’ Delhi march on

The meeting of two Union ministers with farmer leaders to dissuade them from their February 13 ‘Delhi Chalo’ protest ended in a deadlock on Monday with the protesters announcing that their Capital march was on. The government can call us for talks but our plan for Delhi chalo march stands unchanged.” According to people privy to the meeting, a consensus was reached between two on certain issues, including withdrawal of cases registered against farmers during the 2020-21 agitation against now-repealed three agricultural laws. Besides a legal guarantee for minimum support price, the farmers are also demanding the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations, pensions for farmers and farm labourers, farm debt waiver, withdrawal of police cases and “justice” for victims of the Lakhimpur Kheri violence, reinstate the Land Acquisition Act 2013, withdraw from the World Trade Organisation, compensation for families of farmers died during the previous agitation, among others. Ahead of the meeting with Union ministers, farmers’ leader Dallewal alleged that many agriculturists, who were coming from other states, including Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh, to support the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march, have been detained, and sought their release.