Haryana CM Khattar meets PM Modi in Delhi; farmers' issues focus of discussion

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Thursday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi to discuss various issues, including those related to the ongoing protest by farmers. During the meeting which lasted more than an hour, Khattar also extended greetings to PM on the eve of his birthday.

Talking to media persons after the meeting, Khattar said he has invited the prime minister to the inauguration of the railway corridor built along the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal expressway. Asked about the farmer agitation, Khattar said they also discussed the issue and the recent protest by farmers in Karnal.

The Haryana Government has buckled down under pressure amid the massive Karnal Mahapanchayat protests underway in the state. Amid ongoing protests, the state government met farmer leaders last week and offered an impartial inquiry in the death of a protestor as well as compensation for the family of the deceased.

The row erupted after a viral video showed Karnal Sub Divisional Magistrate Ayush Sinha allegedly instructing police personnel "to break their (farmers) head" if they tried to breach the barricade during a protest in Haryana. At least 10 farmers sustained injuries in the police lathi charge.

Protests erupt in Karnal

Days later, on September 7, a large number of farmers thronged the gates of the district headquarters in Karnal, locked in a showdown with the BJP-led government. The gherao saw thousands of farmers from Haryana and neighbouring states riding tractors and motorcycles and arriving at Karnal’s New Anaj Mandi for the 'Mahapanchayat' in protest against the lathi-charge of August 28. As farmers marched on foot from the Mahapanchayat venue to the mini-secretariat just five kilometres away, water cannons were used against the large crowds when they neared the complex.

A section of farmers, mainly from Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh, has been protesting against the Centre's new farm laws for over nine months now. The protesting farmers have been demanding the repeal of the laws which they feel will do away with the MSP system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporations.

Last week, the Central Government approved the increase in the minimum support price (MSP) for all mandated rabi crops in 2022-23. Sugarcane prices have been raised from Rs 12 per quintal to Rs 326 per quintal. CM Khattar had also congratulated the Central Government on behalf of the Haryana government for increasing farmer income.

(With inputs from agency)