Mohali: Their tractor trolleys full of ration supplies, beds, fans, utensils, gas cylinders and themselves armed with patience, farmers from Punjab descended on the city Tuesday to protest against AAP government in scenes reminiscent of the Kisan Morcha of 2020. While they had come prepared for a long haul, the Punjab government accepted 12 of 13 demands made by them day after on Wednesday.
Hundreds of farmers dug their heels at the Chandigarh-Mohali border after being stopped by the Punjab police from entering Chandigarh where they wanted to camp to press for various demands including a bonus on wheat and beginning paddy sowing from June 10. Among others, Among others, farmers wanted a Rs 500 bonus on each quintal of wheat citing drop in yield because of brutal heatwave. They also demanded the government allow them to sow paddy from June 10, instead of in staggered manner from June 18 as earlier announced by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
The protesters had also demanded that the arrest warrants issued against farmers who have taken loans from co-operative societies should be cancelled and the loans up to Rs 2 lakh be waived off. “This is just the beginning. More farmers will join us tomorrow and we won’t go back till the governments meets our demands. We won’t give up,” farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal had said Tuesday, warning the AAP government that they will break barricades and moves towards Chandigarh on Wednesday in absence of any redressal.
On Wednesday, CM Mann held a meeting with leaders of protesting farmers’ unions in which 12 of the 13 demands were agreed upon. They, however, couldn’t reach any consensus on Rs 500 bonus on each quintal of wheat due to less yield following unrelenting heat this season that has led to shrivelling of grains. As decided in the meeting, the state will be divided into two zones to sow paddy, a departure from its earlier order in which it had said sowing would start from June 18 in a staggered manner in the four zones. Half of the state would now be able to sow paddy from June 14 and the second zone would be able to do so from June 17.
Mann also assured the farmers that they would be getting MSP on moong at Rs 7,275 per quintal.
