Rajnath roped in to help resolve farmers’ stir

NEW DELHI: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has been roped in to assist in finding a resolution to the issues of farmers, particularly from Punjab, who have given a call to march towards the national capital, which has been turned into a fortress with police and other security personnel blocking roads with concrete blocks, barbed wires and tyre-busting spikes.

Talks with the agitating farmers have so far remained inconclusive and Singh, a farmer leader from Uttar Pradesh and former agriculture minister, was sought out on Wednesday to explore a resolution.

Sources said Union Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda met Singh at the latter’s residence and discussed the ongoing farmers’ protests and ways to address the issues.

Besides Munda, Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal - whose ministry procures foodgrains at government-announced minimum support price - and Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai were to hold talks with the agitating farmer leaders over video conferencing on Wednesday evening but the meeting has now been pushed to Thursday, sources said.

Farmer groups and the ministerial delegation are likely to hold a physical meeting in Chandigarh on Thursday evening.

The meeting between Singh and Munda in the national capital assumes significance against the backdrop of farmers from Punjab marching towards Delhi and Haryana Police using tear gas shells to stop them at the Shambhu border between the two states.

Thousands of farmers, who are seeking a guaranteed minimum support price (MSP) among other demands, started their ‘Delhi Chalo’ march on Tuesday.

Haryana Police lobbed tear gas shells at farmers from Punjab at the Shambhu border as thousands of protesters stayed put there on Wednesday, the second day of their march.