Centre postpones May 4 meeting with farmer unions, seeks Punjab government’s involvement

Chandigarh: The meeting scheduled for May 4 between the central government and farmer unions has been postponed.

In a letter to the unions, the Centre urged them to allow representatives of the Punjab government to participate in the discussions, saying it was necessary to involve the state government in the dialogue process.

The Centre also appealed to the farmer organisations to reconsider their opposition to the state’s involvement so that the talks could move forward. It said a new date for the meeting would be finalised once consent was granted for Punjab government’s participation.

However, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and several other farmer bodies have objected to the Centre’s proposal.

In a letter addressed to the government, the organisations said they are open to talks but do not want the Punjab government included in the meeting.