THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
New Delhi, Feb 13: Protesting farmers launched their ‘Delhi Chalo’ protest march on Tuesday, and when they neared Shambhu on the Punjab-Haryana border, police opened fire with tear gas shells.
Following a significant meeting between farmer leaders and Union ministers that ended without a settlement late Monday night, over 200 farmer unions made the decision to move forward with the march.
Parties unable to agree on major demands
Following a fruitless five-hour discussion with Union ministers, farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher declared the plan to march. “We do not think the government is serious on any of our demands. We do not think they want to fulfil our demands… Had the government offered anything to us, then we could have reconsidered our agitation,” Pandher stated.
The parties were unable to agree on any major demands after hours of discussion. On the majority of the issues, the administration claimed, a consensus was established, and a plan for resolving some others through committee creation was put out.
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Arjun Munda, the Union Agriculture Minister, attended discussions alongside Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal, expressing positivity regarding the outcome.
Munda indicated that consensus had been reached on most matters, with proposals made to address any lingering issues through the formation of a committee. He maintained hope for further discussions with the farmer organizations.
“We are still hopeful that farmer bodies will hold talks,” Arjun Munda stated.
Strict security
Ahead of the farmers’ protest, Delhi Police have increased security measures, implementing limitations on gatherings and strengthening border controls to ensure order is maintained.
The border crossings from Delhi to the satellite cities that surround it are extremely clogged because of the many detours made in advance of the farmers’ mass march towards the capital. Vehicles in long lineups were seen at the borders of Ghazipur and Chilla, which connect Delhi with Ghaziabad and Noida in Uttar Pradesh.
