Farmers reject govt offer

​New Delhi: Despite government’s assurance that their demands will be considered, and a committee of Chief Ministers will look into it, the protesting farmers, who were stopped from entering the national capital on Tuesday said that they are not satisfied with the Centre’s response and their protest will continue until their all demands are accepted.

Union minister Rajnath Singh, earlier in the day, held a meeting with Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh and a few others on how to pacify farmers and resolve their issues. While speaking after the meeting, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said farmers’ leaders who met the Home Minister have reached an agreement on a majority of the issues.

However, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) president Naresh Tikait, who is spearheading the protests, said that farmers will not accept the government assurance and will go ahead with their protests.

“We had a discussion on 11 points. Government agreed on seven points but has not agreed on four points yet. They said they will have to think about those in a further meeting after which they will tell us as it is a financial matter,” said BKU spokesperson Yudhvir Singh. 

“Government didn’t clear its stand on the main issue of the farmers – C2+50 (a comprehensive formula for calculating minimum support price (MSP) for agricultural produce, over and above the cost of production). That is why the farmers are not satisfied. It didn’t clear its stand even on the other main issue of loan waiver,” he added.

Earlier in the day, thousands of farmers under the banner of Bharatiya Kisan Union walked and travelled in tractors from neighbouring Uttar Pradesh to demand a complete loan waiver.  Their protest turned violent on the Uttar Pradesh-Delhi border after they tried to break through barricades or run them over with tractors to enter the national capital, forcing police to use water cannons and tear gas to disperse them.

The BKU had earlier announced that their ‘Padayatra’ that has begun from Haridwar will reach the national capital on the occasion of the 149th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi on October 2. The march has been organised from Patanjali (Uttarakhand) to Kisan Ghat (Delhi) via Muzaffarnagar, Daurala, Partapur, Modi Nagar/Muradnagar, Hindon Ghat. The march will pass through Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, Preet Vihar and Geeta Colony flyover.  Farmers participating in the movement are demanding for complete loan waiver and reduction in electricity tariff, among other requirements. They are also seeking a provision of a pension to every farmer aged above 60.