Chandigarh, 22 February 2025 — Union ministers will meet farmer leaders in Chandigarh on Saturday evening for the second round of talks this month over long-pending demands, including a legal guarantee for the Minimum Support Price (MSP) on crops.
The discussions will take place at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Public Administration, with Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi representing the Centre. Punjab ministers and senior officials will also attend.
Farmers’ unions—Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha—have been camping at Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February last year after being stopped from marching to Delhi.
Kisan Mazdoor Morcha convener Sarwan Singh Pandher warned that if no positive outcome emerges, farmers will resume their march on February 25.
The last meeting, held on February 14 after nearly a year-long deadlock, saw farmer leaders present 10 key demands, including legal MSP, implementation of the Swaminathan Commission Report, debt waiver, pension for farmers and laborers, withdrawal of cases from the 2020-21 protests, and compensation for families of deceased farmers.
The February 14 talks were described as cordial, with Union Minister Pralhad Joshi assuring that discussions would continue with a “positive mindset.”
He also appealed to fasting farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal to end his indefinite hunger strike, ongoing since November 26.
A day before the latest talks, farmers gathered to mark the death anniversary of farm activist Shubhkaran Singh, who died of bullet injuries at the Khanauri border last year.
Haryana Police denied firing the shot, while Punjab Police registered a zero FIR into the incident.
