Editor's Pick | Protests continue: Farmers demand ‘something positive’ to end agitation

Another round of talks with farmer representatives and Union Ministers is scheduled for Thursday, but farmers say that the meeting would only bear fruit if the government had something ‘positive’ to offer. Protesting farmers from Punjab continue to camp along the border with Haryana. See pictures from the protests here. Farmer leaders in Punjab’s Rajpura said that the Centre had invited them to Chandigarh to hold talks about their demands, in a meeting that will see Union Ministers Arjun Munda, Piyush Goyal and Nityanand Rai participating. This meeting will be the third round of talks between the government and farmers’ representatives, over a list of demands including a legal guarantee on Minimum Support Price. Read an editorial about a potential fruitful direction for the talks here. The ‘Delhi Chalo’ march had been called by the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha and the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political), which together represent bodies of around 200 farmers and farm labourer unions. The protests started out on Tuesday, with farmers from across Punjab launching a ‘tractor-trolley’ rally to the capital. They were stopped from entering Haryana close to Shambhu village near Ambala and Khanauri-Jind, at the boundary with Punjab. Haryana has deployed a host of security measures at this border, including putting up multi-layer barricades. To disperse the farmers camping at the boundary, police alsoresorted to the use of tear gas on Wednesday, causing farmers to employ novel techniques such as multani mitti and toothpaste to defend themselves. Jagjit Singh Dallewal, a senior SKM(NP) leader, told The Hindu that they were “camping peacefully” along the inter-State boundary. “We conveyed to the Centre that we are not averse to the meeting, although we expect that the government should first create a positive atmosphere. On the one hand, the government in Haryana is resorting to the use of tear gas and water cannon and on the other, they are speaking about talks. They have assured us that the situation would be normalised,” he said. In support of the protesting farmers, the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan), one of Punjab’s biggest unions, said it would block rail traffic at seven places in Punjab on Thursday from noon to 4 p.m. Section 144 has been imposed in 15 districts in the State and 64 companies of paramilitary forces and 50 companies of the Haryana Police had been deployed, Haryana Director General of Police Shatrujit Kapoor shared. There has also been heavy security deployment at the borders of the National Capital Territory. In Punjab, all hospitals along the boundary have been put on high alert, with round-the-clock emergency services being provided. According to Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Balbir Singh, at least 40 injured, two with serious head injuries, had been admitted to the Rajpura civil hospital. Mr. Singh condemned the Haryana government for “unprovoked police action at protesting farmers” and said they had no right to stop farmers peacefully proceeding to Delhi to hold protests.Terming the State’s action unconstitutional and illegal, he said that the national highway is “the property of nation and farmers were just [going] to pass from Haryana’s jurisdiction to reach Delhi.” Meanwhile, Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij issued a statement saying “When these groups [farmers] marched from Amritsar, the Punjab government did not make any effort to stop them anywhere on the way. This means they want to create chaos in Delhi.” The Hindu’s Editorials Farming consensus: On the government and the farmers on protest Pension concerns: On the EPFO recommendation The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz Kaja Kallas is the leader of which of the following nations? Estonia Georgia Latvia Lithuania To know the answer and to play the full quiz, click here. [logo] Editor's Pick 15 February 2024 [The Hindu logo] In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [Arrow]Open in browser [Mail icon]More newsletters Protests continue: Farmers demand ‘something positive’ to end agitation Another round of talks with farmer representatives and Union Ministers is scheduled for Thursday, but farmers say that the meeting would only bear fruit [if the government had something ‘positive’ to offer]( [Protesting farmers from Punjab continue to camp along the border with Haryana]( [See pictures from the protests here](. Farmer leaders in Punjab’s Rajpura said that the Centre had invited them to Chandigarh to hold talks about their demands, in a meeting that will see Union Ministers Arjun Munda, Piyush Goyal and Nityanand Rai participating. This meeting will be the third round of talks between the government and farmers’ representatives, over a list of demands including a legal guarantee on Minimum Support Price. Read an [editorial about a potential fruitful direction for the talks here]( The ‘Delhi Chalo’ march had been called by the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha and the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political), which together represent bodies of around 200 farmers and farm labourer unions. The protests started out on Tuesday, with farmers from across Punjab launching a ‘tractor-trolley’ rally to the capital. They were stopped from entering Haryana close to Shambhu village near Ambala and Khanauri-Jind, at the boundary with Punjab. Haryana has deployed a host of security measures at this border, including putting up multi-layer barricades. To disperse the farmers camping at the boundary, police alsoresorted to [the use of tear gas]( Wednesday, [causing farmers to employ novel techniques such as multani mitti and toothpaste to defend themselves](. Jagjit Singh Dallewal, a senior SKM(NP) leader, told The Hindu that they were “camping peacefully” along the inter-State boundary. “We conveyed to the Centre that we are not averse to the meeting, although we expect that the government should first create a positive atmosphere. On the one hand, the government in Haryana is resorting to the use of tear gas and water cannon and on the other, they are speaking about talks. They have assured us that the situation would be normalised,” he said. In support of the protesting farmers, the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan), one of Punjab’s biggest unions, said it would block rail traffic at seven places in Punjab on Thursday from noon to 4 p.m. Section 144 has been imposed in 15 districts in the State and 64 companies of paramilitary forces and 50 companies of the Haryana Police had been deployed, Haryana Director General of Police Shatrujit Kapoor shared. There has also been [heavy security deployment at the borders of the National Capital Territory](. In Punjab, all hospitals along the boundary have been put on high alert, with round-the-clock emergency services being provided. According to Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Balbir Singh, at least 40 injured, two with serious head injuries, had been admitted to the Rajpura civil hospital. Mr. Singh condemned the Haryana government for “unprovoked police action at protesting farmers” and said they had no right to stop farmers peacefully proceeding to Delhi to hold protests.Terming the State’s action unconstitutional and illegal, he said that the national highway is “the property of nation and farmers were just [going] to pass from Haryana’s jurisdiction to reach Delhi.” Meanwhile, Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij issued a statement saying “When these groups [farmers] marched from Amritsar, the Punjab government did not make any effort to stop them anywhere on the way. This means they want to create chaos in Delhi.” The Hindu’s Editorials [Arrow][Farming consensus: On the government and the farmers on protestÂ]( [Arrow][Pension concerns: On the EPFO recommendationÂ]( The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz Kaja Kallas is the leader of which of the following nations? - Estonia - Georgia - Latvia - Lithuania To know the answer and to play the full quiz, [click here](. 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