Farmers' protest: Possibility of third meeting with Centre, Punjab rail roko to go ahead

In the face of heightened security and police action, the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan) has announced it will go ahead with the 'rail roko' protest in Punjab on Thursday from 12 noon to 4.00 p.m. in response to what the union calls the "dictatorial attitude" of the Haryana government.

Meanwhile, amidst the ongoing standoff with the Union government, it has been learned that the Centre may hold talks with protesting farmers on Thursday. Though the exact time of the meeting has not been decided yet, sources claimed it will take place in the afternoon.

BKU leaders have confirmed that the 'rail roko' will commence at 10 locations initially, with the possibility of adding more later. The protest aims to block both road and rail traffic as a form of resistance against alleged repression by the Haryana government of farmers participating in the 'Delhi Chalo' protest march.

BKU (Ugrahan) general-secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan said, "This protest is against the repression by the Haryana government against the farmers of a few unions who had to go to Delhi as part of their Delhi Chalo protest call."

Farmers' leaders have asserted that discussions with the Central government will not proceed until shelling by security personnel is halted. This follows two rounds of inconclusive discussions between the ministers and farmer leaders in Chandigarh earlier.

The Times of India reported that Union ministers Arjun Munda, Piyush Goyal, and Nityanand Rai held talks with farmer leaders through video conference on Wednesday evening. This is expected to provide a platform for further negotiations to address concerns of the farmers and seek common ground on contentious issues.

The farmers, who initiated their protests on Tuesday, are demanding the implementation of a guaranteed minimum support price (MSP) for various crops and the provision of loan waivers.

The Delhi Chalo march, spearheaded by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, comes in the wake of unsuccessful discussions with the Central government.

Farmers from Punjab were lathi charged by Haryana Police when they tried to enter Haryana in order to reach Delhi, with the police employing tear gas, water cannons, and various tactics to hinder the protesters from moving toward Delhi.

The confrontations resulted in injuries on both sides, with reports indicating that 24 police personnel were wounded, while farmer leaders asserted that over 60 protesters were injured.