Farmers' outfits reject talks offer, to hold rallies in Punjab next week

BATHINDA: Farmer organisations BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) and Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) declined on Friday an invitation to talks with Punjab's agriculture minister, stressing that repression and dialogue cannot go together and asking state govt to first create a congenial atmosphere.

SKM postponed its call for a march towards state assembly on March 26, the day state budget is to be presented. Instead, it decided to hold protests at deputy commissioners' offices across state on March 28.

BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) president Joginder Singh Ugrahan said, "When farmers were invited to talks with central and state ministers on March 19, they were arrested and protest sites demolished. Earlier, during a meeting with SKM representatives, CM Bhagwant Mann walked out of the meeting midway. It is debatable whether a meeting is possible under such circumstances even though we know that any solution can be found through dialogue.State govt should create normal circumstances."

Punjab and Haryana HC , meanwhile, issued notice to Punjab's govt to file a status report on detention of fasting farmer representative Jagjit Singh Dallewal by March 24.

Dallewal's organisation, Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Sidhupur), has said he remained without water for the second consecutive day on Friday.