Mon Mar 03 20:05:00 UTC 2025: ## Punjab Farmers to Proceed with Week-Long Protest Despite Inconclusive Meeting with Chief Minister

**Chandigarh, March 4, 2025** – Despite an inconclusive meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of farmers, will proceed with its planned week-long sit-in protest in Chandigarh starting March 5th.

The meeting, aimed at addressing the farmers’ grievances, failed to reach a resolution. Farmer leaders accused Chief Minister Mann of not adequately addressing their concerns, describing his approach as “unfortunate and disrespectful.” Buta Singh Burjgill, president of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Dakonda), a member of the SKM, stated that the Chief Minister urged them to call off the protest rather than engaging with their demands.

Chief Minister Mann countered that he has held more meetings with farmers than any of his predecessors and that his office remains open for dialogue. However, he expressed concern over the disruption caused to the public by the planned protest, highlighting the economic losses it would inflict on the state. He emphasized that while protest is a democratic right, it should not cause undue hardship to citizens.

The SKM’s protest targets both the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the national level. Key demands include the rejection of the Centre’s draft National Policy Framework on Agricultural Marketing, a legal guarantee for minimum support prices (MSP) as per the Swaminathan Commission report, and the implementation of a Punjab agriculture policy that supports water-efficient crops and guarantees MSP for six key crops including basmati rice, maize, moong, and potato. Additional demands include a comprehensive water policy to address groundwater depletion and river pollution, and a law for debt settlement for farmers.

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