Govt requests time for talks as farmers’ protest at Shambhu Border enters sixth day

Earlier, Union Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda on Friday said that efforts to find a solution continue and the next round of talks with farmers will take place on Sunday.

New Delhi: As the farmer protest at the Shambhu border enters the sixth day, Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee leaders said on Sunday that the government had asked for some time to discuss the matter with the union ministers.

“It is our sixth day at the Shambhu border. Today we are also holding fourth round of talks with the government. The government has asked for some time and said that it will discuss the matter with the union ministers and find a solution to it,” the committee’s general secretary Sarvan Singh Pandher said on Sunday.

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The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha have given a “Delhi Chalo” call to press the BJP-led Centre to accept their demands. Farmers from Punjab began their march to the national capital on Tuesday but were stopped by security personnel at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana.

The protesting farmers have been camping at the Shambhu border near Ambala since the start of the march on Tuesday, February 13. Talks between the union ministers and leaders of various farmers’ bodies remained inconclusive, with the fourth round of talks scheduled on Sunday.

Earlier, Union Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda on Friday said that efforts to find a solution continue and the next round of talks with farmers will take place on Sunday.

The third round of talks with the central government ended on Thursday, amid the standoff between the protestors and security personnel on the Punjab-Haryana border.

“This was the third meeting between the farmers and the government. Several issues and topics were raised and discussed. We will surely reach a conclusion if we will carry forward the talks peacefully. I am hopeful that we will soon find a solution. Another meeting with the farmers will be held on Sunday. We will discuss things in that meeting and will find a solution,” the Union Minister had said.

Munda asserted that while making the decision, they have to keep in mind all the aspects of it. “The decision cannot be taken in such a way that people criticize the situation without thinking and understanding in the coming days. Rather, we should try to keep in mind all the aspects of it and discuss it. The common life of the people should not be troubled in any way,” he added.

Meanwhile, the security forces deployed at the Shambhu Border continue to hold resistance to the agitating farmers attempting to enter the national capital.

Earlier, the police fired tear gas to disperse the farmers, while the protestors were seen pelting stones towards the police on Friday.
The protesting farmers have been camping at the border points. Hundreds of farmers and some journalists have been injured as the protestors clashed with the police many times trying to break the multi-layer barricades.