The minister’s remarks in Udupi came even as union government’s talks with farmers in Chandigarh remained inconclusive.
Shobha Karandlaje launching the 'Modi again for 2024' graffiti campaign at Ambalapadi ward in Udupi Assembly Constituency. (X)
Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shobha Karandlaje on Thursday, 15 February, characterised the ongoing farmers’ protest in Delhi as ‘politically motivated’.
Addressing reporters in Udupi, she said the MS Swaminathan committee had given 207 recommendations in its report, which was kept in “deep cold storage” by the UPA government. She claimed that all the recommendations were addressed by the Narendra Modi government alone, and minimum support price (MSP) was one among them.
“The government is now providing MSP for 22 crops. The ongoing agitation when elections are drawing near is a political protest in the name of farmers,” she alleged.
“This is part of a conspiracy by a few organisations and international movements,” she further claimed, adding that the government is prepared to hold talks with the farmers.
Karandlaje made the comments even as the Madhya Pradesh police did a ‘disappearing’ act while taking detained farmers from Karnataka to Varanasi from Ujjain. The farmers, including women, heading to join the ‘Delhi Chalo’ protest were detained at the Bhopal railway station on 12 February.
The Madhya Pradesh Police were taking farmers from Karnataka to Varanasi but de-boarded the train, without communicating with the farmers, at the interstate border between Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
Meanwhile, talks between three Union ministers and leaders of protesting farmer unions concluded without a resolution in Chandigarh late on Thursday while Union Minister Arjun Munda termed the discussion “positive” and said that another meeting will be held on Sunday.
The farmer leaders said they will continue to stay put at the two borders of Punjab and Haryana.
Union Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Minister Munda, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai represented the Centre at the meeting over the farmer unions’ various demands, including a law guaranteeing a minimum support price (MSP) for crops.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann also joined the meeting at the Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration in Chandigarh’s Sector 26. The meeting, which started at around 8.45 pm, lasted for around five hours.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Munda said the talks took place in a “good atmosphere” and there was “positive discussion”.
The talks will continue and another meeting will take place at 6 pm on Sunday, he said, adding that a solution will be found by sitting together.
Mann said a detailed discussion between farmer leaders and the government took place.
“On each topic, a detailed discussion took place and a consensus was reached on several issues,” he said.
This was the third round of talks between the two sides. The two previous rounds of dialogue on February 8 and 12 remained inconclusive.
Mann said he raised the issue of suspension of internet services at select areas in Sangrur, Patiala and Fatehgarh Sahib with the Centre.
He said that he also brought to the attention of the Union ministers the use of a drone by Haryana Police to tear gas shells on the protesters inside Punjab.
He said he got an assurance from the Centre that it would speak to the Haryana government and ask it to maintain peace at the Punjab and Haryana borders.
Among the farmer leaders who took part in the meeting were SKM (Non-Political) leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha have given a “Delhi Chalo” call to press the BJP-led Centre to accept their demands.
Farmers from Punjab began their march to the national capital on Tuesday but were stopped by security personnel at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana.
The protesting farmers have been camping at the border points.
Earlier, the farmer leaders had said they would not make any fresh attempt to move towards Delhi till the meeting with the ministers was held, asserting that the next course of action would be decided based on the Centre’s proposals.
Separately, farmers squatted on railway tracks at many places in Punjab over the Haryana Police’s action against the “Delhi Chalo” protesters.
The Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) and the BKU Dakaunda (Dhaner) gave the “rail roko” call.
The decision was taken in protest against the use of tear-gas shells and water cannons against the protesting farmers by the Haryana security personnel at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points.
Meanwhile, on the call of the SKM, farmers also staged demonstrations at several toll plazas in Punjab to protest against the Haryana Police’s action.
They also forced the toll authorities to let go of commuters without charging them a toll fee.
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