Will raise issue of law on MSP in Parl, Mamata assures Punjab farmers

A five-member delegation of Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders on Monday met protesting farmers at Khanauri border in Punjab, with West Bengal chief minister and party supremo Mamata Banerjee speaking to the farm leaders over the phone.

The delegation comprised TMC Rajya Sabha members Derek O’Brien, Mohammed Nadimul Haque, Dola Sen, Sagarika Ghose, and Saket Gokhale.

“Today team @AITCofficial in a 5 MP delegation visited farmers protests in Khanauri border. Our leader @MamataOfficial spoke via phone to farm leaders to assure them that @AITCofficial will always stand for justice for farmers. Jai Hind. Jai Kisan,” Ghose posted on X after the meeting.

West Bengal CM spoke to farm leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal and assured him that her party will “always stand for justice for farmers and raise the issue of legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) in the monsoon session of parliament.”

The TMC leaders also visited the Khanauri protest site and also went on the spot where young farmer Shubh Karan Singh, a native of Bathinda, was killed in police action, which also left 12 cops injured on February 21. The delegation also interacted with women farmers.

Jagjeet Singh Dallewal, convener of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political), said, “This is a welcome step by the TMC to send a delegation to meet us. Mamata ji assured us that TMC MPs will raise the issue of MSP in the upcoming monsoon session.”

Dallewal added that they gave a 12-point memorandum to the delegation highlighting issues pertaining to the farmers.

“Before the monsoon session, we will give a 12-point memorandum to all the newly elected MPs of the opposition parties to raise the issue of MSP in Parliament,” Dallewal added.

SKM (Non-Political) leader Abhimanyu Kohar said: “West Bengal CM assured us of full support. She assured us that the TMC will fight for farmers’ legitimate demands.”

“We showed the delegation empty tear gas shells and bullet shells used against us by the Haryana police and paramilitary personnel. We also informed them that the Haryana Police used pellet guns against us and injured several farmers,” Kohar added.

Ghose, while interacting with mediapersons, said that TMC was the first party to extend support to the farmers during the 2020-21 farmers’ protest. “Our leader Mamata Banerjee told the farmers that the party will fight shoulder to shoulder with farmers until their demands are met,” Ghose said.

The SKM (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha spearheading the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march by farmers to press the government to accept their demands which include a legal guarantee for MSP for crops have been staying put at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13 when their march was stopped by the security forces.

TMC has a strength of 42 MPs, 29 in the Lok Sabha and 13 in the Rajya Sabha.