Haryana Farmers' Protest Ends; Govt Meets 2 Key Demands

CHANDIGARH: Farmers in Haryana have ended their protest after the state government agreed to their demand for the implementation of the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for sunflower seeds. The farmers had been blocking roads, including the Delhi-Chandigarh National Highway 44 at Pipli in Kurukshetra, to push for an increase in the minimum price for sunflower crops.

Karam Singh Mathana, a farmer leader, announced that the government had agreed to their demand of setting the MSP for sunflower seeds at Rs 6,400. While this was a significant victory, Mathana acknowledged that the larger issue of MSP for other crops still remained unresolved. However, he expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the meeting between the farmers and the government.

Following the agreement, the farmers decided to open the blocked roads and end their protest. Rakesh Tikait, another prominent farmer leader, emphasized that the fight for MSP would continue across the country, and they would also work towards securing the release of their leaders who had been arrested. He stated that the cases filed against their leaders would be withdrawn.

The protest was triggered by the damage caused to crops due to unseasonal rains in Haryana between March and April. To provide interim compensation, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar released Rs 29.13 crore to 8,528 farmers who had cultivated sunflowers on 36,414 acres of land. However, the farmers demanded that the state government procure sunflowers at the MSP of Rs 6,400 per quintal.

In the meantime, the state government had implemented the Bhavantar Bharpai Yojana, a price difference payment scheme, which offered Rs 1,000 per quintal as interim support for sunflower crops sold below the MSP.

The protest, called "MSP Dilao, Kisan Bachao mahapanchayat," was organized by the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Charuni) at a grain market in Pipli. It culminated in a march towards the blocked National Highway-44. The farmers were supported by Gurnam Singh Charuni, the chief of Bharatiya Kisan Union (Charuni), who had previously blocked the national highway near Shahabad on June 6. During that protest, the police resorted to water cannons and lathi-charges to disperse the demonstrators.

During the mahapanchayat, farm leaders criticized the government for its perceived "anti-farmer" policies and the actions taken against their leaders. They demanded the procurement of sunflower seeds at MSP and the release of the protesters who had been arrested in Shahabad.

Earlier, farmers had also blocked the Delhi-Chandigarh National Highway after a mahapanchayat in the district. The protest saw the participation of leaders from various khaps, along with Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait and Olympic medal-winning wrestler Bajrang Punia, who had been demanding action against the outgoing Wrestling Federation of India chief, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

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