Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh has left for Delhi to meet Union home minister Amit Shah ahead of the next round of talks between the Centre and farmer organisations’ representatives on the three contentious farm laws. He is scheduled to meet Shah at 9.30am to try and work out an amicable solution to the deadlock, according to sources.
Amarinder is accompanied by his chief principal secretary Suresh Kumar and some other officials. The chief minister had sought time from the home minister for a meeting on the ongoing stir against the new laws that has led to a siege by the protesting farmers, mostly from Punjab.
Thursday’s meeting between farmers and the Centre is crucial as this is the fourth such meeting — all previous meetings failing to end the deadlock — over the grievances against the three farm bills passed recently by Parliament.
As focus shifted to today’s meeting, farm leaders appeared to have hardened their stand, demanding the Centre call a special session of Parliament to repeal the newly enacted farms laws, which they say will adversely impact the minimum support price system (MSP) that offers cultivators assured prices from the government, and eventually help corporate entities.