Convene daylong Parliament session to bring law on MSP: Farmer leader

Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher on Tuesday said the Centre should convene a daylong Parliament session to bring a legislation on the minimum support price (MSP) for crops, a key demand of protesting farmers.

He also asked the Centre to accept the other main demands of the farmers, including farm loan waiver.

Pandher's statement came a day after the farmer leaders taking part in the "Delhi Chalo" agitation rejected the BJP-led Centre's proposal for procuring pulses, maize and cotton at the MSP by government agencies for five years, saying it was not in favour of farmers.

In the fourth round of talks with the farmer leaders on Sunday, a panel of three Union ministers proposed that government agencies would buy pulses, maize and cotton at the MSP for five years after entering into an agreement with farmers.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha are spearheading the "Delhi Chalo" march.

Talking to reporters at the Shambhu border point between Punjab and Haryana, Pandher, who represents the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, said, "We demand that a law to guarantee the MSP be brought. If the prime minister has the will power, a daylong session of Parliament can be convened. No opposition party will oppose it."

"I demand that all opposition parties make their stand clear that if the Centre brings a law on the MSP, they will vote for it. Be it the Shiromani Akali Dal or the Congress -- they should make their stand clear. The Trinamool Congress, led by Mamata Banerjee, and other parties should also make their stand clear," he added.

Pandher said farmers have three big demands -- a legal guarantee on the MSP for all crops, the implementation of the "C2 plus 50 per cent" formula as recommended by the Swaminathan Commission and loan waiver.

He said at the meeting with Union ministers Arjun Munda, Piyush Goyal and Nityanand Rai, the farmers proposed that a law on the MSP be enacted by convening a special session of Parliament.

On the issue of loan waiver, he said according to government reports, farmers have a total debt to the tune of Rs 18.5 lakh crore.

He requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make an announcement that the farm loans would be waived, while a mechanism for the same could be worked out later.

"The BJP claims that the present prime minister is a strong prime minister. If he makes an announcement on waiving the debt of 80 crore farmers and farm labourers, it will stamp the BJP's claim that he really is a strong prime minister," Pandher said.

Replying to a question on the "Delhi Chalo" march, the farmer leader said "our announcement (of going to Delhi on Wednesday) stands".

To another question, he said no demand of the farmers has been accepted by the Centre.

On the issue of death of two farmers during the protest, Pandher said the Punjab government should announce a policy in this regard and sought compensation and jobs for a family member of each deceased.

A 72-year-old farmer, who was part of the protest at the Khanauri border point, died of cardiac arrest on Sunday. Earlier, a 63-year-old farmer died of a heart attack at the Shambhu border.

Ashok Bulara, another farmer leader, said the government should frame a law on the MSP, waive farm loans and give rates in accordance with the "C2 plus 50 per cent" formula recommended by the Swaminathan Commission.

"Either accept our demands or we should be allowed to move towards Delhi for a peaceful protest," he said.

Meanwhile, Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar accused Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of jeopardising the efforts of both the farmer leaders and the Union ministers to arrive at a solution.

Mann, who heads the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in the state, had joined the meeting between the Union ministers and farmer leaders on Sunday.

It is "most unfortunate" that the negotiations between the farmers and the Centre have not fructified, Jakhar said.

On Monday's developments, he claimed that now, not only would Mann be able to show the Centre in "bad light", but also succeed in redirecting the farmers, who initially wanted to march to Chandigarh, to Delhi.

"Sure enough, he has succeeded in this mission by jeopardising the sincere efforts of both the farmers and the central ministerial team to arrive at a solution," Jakhar said.

Meanwhile, farmer outfits owing allegiance to the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, which had spearheaded a 2020-21 stir against three farm laws that have since been repealed, held protests at toll plazas in Punjab to press the Centre to accept their demands.

Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan said the farmers staged sit-ins at 23 toll plazas in 13 districts and forced officials not to charge a toll fee from commuters.

On Monday evening, SKM (Non-Political) leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal had said, "After holding discussions on two of our forums, it has been decided that the Centre's proposal is not in the interest of farmers and we reject it."

The protesting farmers have been staying put at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana, after their "Delhi Chalo" march was stopped by security forces.

They began their march on February 13 but were stopped by the security forces, which led to clashes at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points.