Centre says talks are the only solution as farmers march to Delhi on Friday

The administration has already imposed Section 163 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, restricting assembly of five or more persons in the district and issued notices at the protest site

Dialogue is the only way forward to resolve the issues of farmers, who should hold talks with agriculture minister Shivraj Chouhan, Minister of State for Rural Development Kamlesh Paswan said on Thursday, as he extended an olive branch to the farmers protesting on the Punjab-Haryana border.

 

Over 100 farmers are preparing to march towards Delhi on Friday to press for their demands.

 

"No other government has done as much for farmers as the Modi government. We have helped them in every sector," Paswan told reporters at a press conference here.

 

"I would urge them (farmers) that our Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is very accessible, anyone who wants to discuss some issue, there can be no better place for discussion," he said.

 

Protests that disturb other people will not help, Paswan said, adding that the farmers’ issues can only be “resolved through talks".

 

Meanwhile, addressing a press conference on the Shambhu border, farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said that farmers will move towards Delhi.

 

“What the government will do, it is for them to think. We will begin our march towards Delhi at 1 pm from the Shambhu border," Pandher said.

 

He said that if the government stopped them from carrying out their march, it would be a "moral victory" for them.

 

"Because their leaders have been saying if farmers do not bring tractor trolleys then there should be no objection," he said.

 

Police in Ambala, Haryana have swung into action and sent senior officers, including the Ambala district police chief, to the border to assess the security situation.

 

Central paramilitary forces have also been deployed on the Haryana side of the border. Ambala administration on Wednesday urged farmers to reconsider their march and consider any further action only after getting permission from Delhi Police.

 

The administration has imposed Section 163 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, restricting the assembly of five or more persons in the district, and issued notices at the protest site.

 

Earlier in the day, Deputy Inspector General Mandeep Singh Sidhu (Patiala Range) and Senior Superintendent Patiala Nanak Singh met farmer leaders Pandher and Surjit Singh Phul at the Shambhu border.

 

Farmers, gathered under the banner of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, had earlier announced a foot march to the national capital. They have several demands, including seeking a legal guarantee for the minimum support price of crops.