Meeting between protesting farmers, central team held cordially; next round on February 22

New Delhi: A meeting between a central team led by Union Minister Pralhad Joshi and farmers' representatives to discuss their various demands, including a legal guarantee for MSP on crops, was held at Chandigarh on Friday in a cordial atmosphere and the next round of talks will be held on February 22.

The over two-and-a-half-hour meeting with the 28-member delegation from the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha was held after a year-long protest by farmers.

It was also attended by Punjab Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian, the state's Minister for Food and Civil Supplies Lal Chand Kataruchak and other state government representatives.

The Union Minister for Food and Consumer Affairs told reporters that the talks were held in a cordial atmosphere. Another round of talks will be held on February 22 and Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will lead the central team in the next meeting.

"In the meeting, detailed steps taken by the Narendra Modi government for farmers' welfare were shared with their leaders in," he added.

Separately, farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who is on an indefinite fast, too said that the meeting was held in a positive atmosphere and another meeting will be held next week on February 22.

He was brought to the meeting venue from the Khanauri protest site in an ambulance. Farmer leader Kaka Singh Kotra said it took four hours for Dallewal to reach Chandigarh.

Dallewal, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) convenor, has been on an indefinite hunger strike at the Khanauri border point since November 26 last year to press the Centre on various demands, including a legal guarantee for MSP on crops.

About Friday's meeting, farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said, "We discussed in detail the issue of legal guarantee to MSP for crops in the meeting."

The two outfits of farmers have been holding protests at Shambhu and Khanauri on the Punjab-Haryana border for the past one year.