Ahead of a key meeting Sunday with Union Ministers to try and resolve issues that made them call for a protest march to Delhi, Punjab farm union leaders said Saturday that the government should bring an ordinance to provide minimum support price (MSP) guarantee to the farmers. Sarvan Singh Pandher, general secretary of Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, told reporters at the Shambhu border: “If the government wants, it can bring an ordinance overnight. If it wants a resolution to the farmers’ protest, then it should bring an ordinance.” Jagjit Singh Dallewal, leader of Bharatiya Kisan Union (Sidhupur), agreed with Pandher and reiterated the demand for an ordinance. “When the government wants to bring an ordinance, it does… Why can’t they do it now?” Dallewal said, adding that it can be converted into a legislation within six months. The demand for an ordinance on MSP has come a day prior to the fourth round of talks between the farm union leaders and the Union Ministers. The MSP guarantee has been one of the key demands of the farm unions – waiver of debts being another. Pandher said the MSP guarantee will help in diversification of crops. The government, he said, imports pulses and oil seeds. “We can also produce pulses and oil seeds. But we go for wheat and paddy as there is no assured purchase. If we get a guarantee, what stops us from producing these?” he said. On farm debt waiver, Pandher said the Centre has been saying that the loan amounts have to be assessed. “What stops the government from collecting the data from banks? It is only a matter of political will,” he said.
