Union Ministers, Punjab CM arrive in Chandigarh for fourth round of talks with farmers
Feb 18, 2024
Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], February 18 : Union Ministers Piyush Goyal, Arjun Munda and Nityanand Rai have arrived at the meeting venue in Chandigarh where the fourth round of talks between the Central Ministers and farmer leaders will take place shortly on Sunday.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has also arrived at the meeting venue to attend the talks.
Farmer leaders have also arrived at Mahatma Gandhi Institute in Sector 26 in Chandigarh ahead of the meeting with Union Ministers.
The agitating farmers from Punjab have raised various demands including an ordinance on giving legal guarantee to MSPs for crops, and loan waiver.
The two sides -- ministers and farmer leaders -- had met earlier on February 8, 12 and 15 but talks remained inconclusive.
The meeting comes as thousands of farmers are camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri points of the Punjab-Haryana border with layers of barricades and a large number of security personnel halting their march to the national capital.
The non-political Samyukta Kisan Morcha and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha have given a 'Delhi Chalo' call, urging the BJP-led Centre to accede to their demands. Commencing their march to the national capital on Tuesday, farmers from Punjab faced hindrance from security personnel at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points, situated 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 today.