NEW DELHI: The government on Saturday accepted five of 15 key demands of thousands of agitating farmers from Uttar Pradesh following a meeting with their delegation at the Krishi Bhawan (Ministry of Agriculture) in the national capital.”Government agreed to five of our fifteen demands. The agitation has not been called off, it is just a temporary arrangement, we will meet PM after 10 days for the remaining demands,” Puran Singh, President of Bhartiya Kisan Sangathan said. Puran Singh further warned, ”If they (govt) agree to all of our demands we will call off the agitation and if not, we will start an agitation from Saharanpur again.”
The breakthrough came after a delegation of agitating farmers comprising 11 members met senior government officials at the Krishi Bhawan hours after thousands of them marched into Delhi under the umbrella of Bharatiya Kisan Sangh demanding loan waiver, settlement of dues for sugarcane crop and pension. Heavy police deployment and barricading on the border near Ghazipur, however, prevented the agitating farmers from marching into Delhi to press for their demands.
