CHANDIGARH: Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Navjot Singh Sidhu along with other party leaders on Friday met representatives of farmer unions here, ahead of the state Assembly elections scheduled next year. “Had a positive meeting with Samyukt Kisan Morcha … Discussed the way forward,” Sidhu tweeted. Around 32 farmer organisations of Punjab have held meetings in Chandigarh with various political parties of the state, except the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The meetings were scheduled by Sanyukt Kisan Morcha to request political parties not to hold campaigns at various places in the state before the official declaration of the Punjab Assembly elections as it may disrupt their ongoing protest.
Farmers have been protesting since November 26 last year against the three newly enacted farm laws: Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
Farmer leaders and the Centre have held several rounds of talks but the impasse remains.