'Dilli Chalo' protest: CPI-M General Secretary Yechury urges Centre to start "meaningful talks" with farmers

New Delhi [India], February 14 :The Communist Party of India's (Marxist) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury on Wednesday urged the Union Government to start "meaningful talks" with farmers' groups who are protesting against the government, demanding a guaranteed minimum support price (MSP).
"We want an immediate end to this repression and meaningful talks have to be conducted," Yechury told ANI.
"We've never heard of drones being used to fire tear gas shells on the farmers and all sorts of barricades that have been erected.They are trying to stop the march of the farmers to Delhi. Respecting the farmers and respecting the people who feed all of us is required of this government," he added.
Yechury said that on February 16, there is going to be a "big nationwide action program," including some sectoral industrial strikes along with the trade unions.
"This is something that the Modi government cannot ignore. It has to immediately concede," he said.
Meanwhile, Union Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda said on Wednesday that efforts to engage in constructive dialogue with the farmers' union persist.
The minister also expressed readiness to hold discussions considering all viewpoints and appealed for a conducive environment for dialogue.
"I had already said that our efforts to hold positive discussions with the farmers' union will continue. Farmers' organizations must understand that the decision on the law that is being talked about 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," he said.
Further, the Agriculture Minister urged the farmers' organizations to avoid actions that disrupt daily life.
"The second thing is that the farmers will also have to pay attention to this, especially the leaders of those organizations who are connected with the farmers' organization and are saying such things that do not affect the common life of the people. The common life of the people should not be troubled in any way. Creating difficulties for the common people, I think, instead of solving the problem, the problem becomes more complicated. Therefore, I will request the farmers' organizations today that they should maintain the atmosphere of dialogue..." he added.
Meanwhile, Police lobbed multiple rounds of teargas shells to disperse farmers who were approaching the police barricade at the Punjab-Haryana Shambhu border to resume the 'Dilli Chalo' protest on Wednesday.