Talks between Haryana CM Khattar, farmers fail

Pradeep Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 3

The talks between Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar and the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), Haryana, failed tonight with no consenus being reached on any of the farmers’ demands.

“There has been no consensus on any of our demands, including the withdrawal of the nearly 48,000 cases against farmers, compensation for the farmers killed in farmers’ movement and the allotment of site for the construction of ‘shaheed smarak’,” Gurnam Singh Chaduni, president of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Chaduni), said after the marathon meeting lasting over four hours.

Saying that the state government failed to give satisfactory reply to the farmers’ demands, Chaduni said now the SKM would announce future course action at its meeting in Singhu tomorrow.

Khattar had called a sudden and unscheduled meeting with the Haryana SKM, a day before the crucial SKM meeting to take call on the fate of the farmers’ movement. However, the state government’s “goodwill gesture” failed to translate into concrete results, with both sides sticking to their guns.

Sources said while the farmers’ leader demanded the withdrawal of all cases, the government expressed its inability to announce the withdrawal of all cases in the wake of technical and legal hitches since a number of cases were already in courts.

There was also no consensus on relief to the farmers and government jobs for the kin of the over 70 deceased farmers of Haryana.

No consensus

Sources said while farmers’ demanded the withdrawal of all cases, the govt expressed its inability in this regard due to technical and legal hitches as many cases were in courts