Haryana’s Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, amid the ongoing six-week-long farmers’ protest and rumours of a rift in the state government.
Chautala is the leader of Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) which is an alliance partner in the BJP-led government in Haryana. A section of JJP MLAs is believed to have been facing pressure from the agitating farmers.
CNN-News18 reports that Chautala and Modi were set to discuss the agricultural laws and farmers’ situation. The textile hub, east west corridor, and rail routes were also expected to be among the topics of discussion between the two.
Chautala, along with Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, had met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday. The meeting came within hours after the Supreme Court stayed the implementation of the three controversial farm laws till further orders and decided to set up a committee to resolve the impasse over them between the Centre and farmers’ unions protesting at Delhi borders.
READ | Khattar, His Deputy Meet Amit Shah after SC Ruling on Farm Laws, Dushyant Says No Threat to Haryana Govt
Later, Khattar said, “Haryana is epicentre of farmers’ agitation so we discussed law and order and security in the state. Chautala told reporters, “Our government will last its full five-year term. There is no threat to Haryana government.”
Chautala further said now that the Supreme Court has set up a committee, hope things will be resolved soon. Before meeting Shah, Chautala met MLAs of his party Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) here at a farm house, in which a section of them said it would cost the ruling alliance heavily if the laws are not repealed.
Khattar also said that the farmers protesting at Delhi’s borders should end their agitation now following the formation of a committee by the Supreme Court. “The ball is now in the court of the SC and I feel whatever is its decision, it will be acceptable to all,” he said, welcoming the SC order.
The Supreme Court stayed till further orders the implementation the three central agri-marketing laws over which farmers from Punjab and Haryana have been protesting for weeks. The court also announced the formation of a four-member committee to resolve the deadlock over the new laws between the Centre and farmers’ unions.
On the farmer unions’ refusal to call off their protest after the SC order, Khattar said there was no reason now for them to continue with it. He said the farmers should lift their dharna’ at Delhi’s border and head back to the places they had come from.
Khattar has been targeted by farmer unions for supporting the new laws enacted at the Centre in September. On Sunday, protesters in Karnal vandalised the venue of the kisan mahapanchayat the chief minister had planned to address in support of the laws.
Also, a section of the MLAs from the Jannayak Janta Party, which is the BJP’s partner in Haryana’s ruling coalition, have opposed the central laws. The four members of the SC-appointed committee are Bhartiya Kisan Union’s Bhupinder Singh Mann, Shetkeri Sangthana’s Anil Ghanwat, International Food Policy Research Institute’s Pramod Kumar Joshi and agriculture economist Ashok Gulati.
Farmers protesting outside Delhi are demanding the repeal of the laws and a legal guarantee on minimum support price (MSP) for their crops.
Khattar had to cancel a public meeting in Karnal on Sunday after the site was ransacked by the protesting farmers. A section of MLAs belonging to JJP, headed by Chautala, is believed to have been facing pressure from the agitating farmers.
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