Farmers staging protest for not getting the Minimum Support Price (MSP) in the procurement of sunflower crop in India's Haryana state on Monday blocked the national highway to Delhi.
According to media reports, the decision to block the national highway was taken at a ‘mahapanchayat’ (farmers congregation) held in Pipli, a village in the state's Kurukshetra District.
The farmers blocked the highway as they are dissatisfied with the relief announced by the State Chief Manohar Lal Khattar.
Notably, Khattar on Saturday digitally released INR 291.3 million ($3.5 million) as interim relief to 8,528 farmers for the sunflower grown on 36,414 acres under the Bhavantar Bharpai Yojana (price deficit compensation scheme).
Farmers’ leaders and farmers from Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and other neighboring states had gathered at the Pipli grain market for the 'MSP Dilao, Kisan Bachao' (give MSP, save farmers) mahapanchayat to express their demands.
After the farmers blocked the highway, traffic was diverted on the Delhi-Chandigarh route to avoid congestion.
The mahapanchayat was also attended by Olympic medalist wrestler Bajrang Punia, who recently got support from the farmers of the state during the ongoing protest of the wrestlers against Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, and Rakesh Tikait, who led the year-long farmers’ protest against the now-scrapped three farm laws.
On June 6, farmers led by Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Gurnam Singh Chaduni had blocked the national highway near Shahabad for around six hours seeking procurement of sunflower seeds at MSP.
The police used water cannons and resorted to baton charging to disperse the protesting farmers and later arrested Chaduni and nine other BKU leaders over several charges including rioting and unlawful assembly.
The farmers are demanding that the state government procure sunflower at an MSP of INR 6,400 ($77.63) per quintal.