Punjab farmers announce protest march to Delhi for MSP, other demands

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha on Monday announced that farmers will march towards Delhi on December 6 to press the Centre to accept their various demands, including a legal guarantee of MSP for crops.

The decision was taken at a meeting of farmer leaders here.

The protesting farmers have been camping at Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13, when their 'Delhi Chalo' march, spearheaded by the SKM (Non-Political) and the KMM, was stopped by security forces.

Addressing the media here, KMM leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said after a long wait, they have decided to head towards Delhi.

"We will move towards Delhi on December 6," he said.

Pandher slammed the Centre for not holding any talks with the farmers to discuss their demands.

"We have been left with no option. We waited peacefully for the government (to reach out) for nine months. But now we will head towards Delhi," he added.

The farmers will move towards the national capital in batches from the Shambhu border.

Tejveer Singh of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Shaheed Bhagat Singh) said they have been camping at the two border points for 280 days and the Centre has not held any talks with them since February 18.

Last week, the farmers announced that they would intensify their agitation and start a fast unto death from November 26. Farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal will observe the fast.

Besides a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for crops, the farmers are demanding a farm debt waiver, pension for farmers and farm labourers, no hike in electricity tariff, withdrawal of police cases and "justice" for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence, reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, and compensation to the families of the farmers who died during a previous agitation in 2020-21.