Mann's inclusion in negotiating panel irks Punjab BJP

On Tuesday, Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar laid the blame for the failure of the latest round of talks between farmers and the government at the door of chief minister Bhagwant Mann, whose inclusion in the panel meeting farmers surprised many people.

- Sunetra Choudhury

"With Bhagwant Mann himself, of all people, acting as the lawyer for the farmers, these negotiations were destined to fail because CM Mann had everything to gain from the failure of these talks. Not only would he now be able to show the central government in bad light but also redirect those farmers to Delhi who had initially wanted to march to Chandigarh. And sure enough, he has succeeded in this mission by jeopardising the sincere efforts of both the farmers and the central ministerial team to arrive at a solution," Jakhar said in a post on X.

On Monday night, the farmers rejected the offer from the government that promised contract-based procurement of five crops at MSP for five years and said they would not budge from their demand for legislative backing for the minimum support price regime. They have also threatened to march to Delhi.