A fourth meeting between the protesting farmers and a government delegation late last night seems to have made headway in the deadlock that saw a massive faceoff on the Punjab-Haryana border last week.

The government has proposed to buy pulses, maize, and cotton crops from the farmers in Punjab at the minimum safety price (MSP) for the next five years, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said after their Chandigarh meeting that lasted well past midnight.

The protesting farmers have sought two days to discuss the proposal in their forums while a decision on their other demands remains pending.

MSP refers to a price fixed by the government to protect farmers against a steep fall in prices. It acts as a safety net and prevents losses.

Mr Goyal, who met the farmers along with ministers Arjun Munda and Nityanand Rai, said government agencies will sign a contract with the farmers for the next five years for the proposed procurement and there will be no limit on the buying quantity.

Read | What Minister Piyush Goyal Said After 4th Meeting With Protesting Farmers

“Cooperative societies like the NCCF (National Cooperative Consumers Federation) and NAFED (National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India) will enter into a contract with those farmers who grow tur dal, urad dal, masoor dal or maize for buying their crop at MSP for next five years,” the minister said.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who also joined the meeting, said the farmers need assured pricing if they must go for crop diversification. 

Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said they will take the opinion of experts and then decide on their future course of action. He also hoped that their other demands would also be resolved in the next two days

Read | “We Had Asked For MSP Guarantee On Purchase Of Pulses”: Bhagwant Mann

The ‘Delhi Chalo’ march, which saw thousands of farmers heading towards Delhi with their tractors filled with ration for months, will be put on hold. But the march will resume on February 21 if all their demands are not met, he said.

Besides a law on MSP, the farmers are also demanding a loan waiver, the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations, pension for farmers and farm labourers, and the withdrawal of police cases filed against them during the protests.

The farmers began their march to Delhi last Tuesday and are now camping at Shambhu and Khanauri borders between Punjab and Haryana, where layers of barricades have been erected to stop them. There has been no report of any confrontation with the security personnel since their last meeting held four days ago.

Delhi is also fortified with Ghazipur, Singhu, and other borders partially sealed. Concrete blocks and nails are placed on roads to stop their tractors and trollies from crossing over.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will once again skip the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) summons, marking the sixth time he has failed to appear for questioning in connection with the Delhi excise policy case. The AAP has reiterated its stance, declaring the summons as “illegal” and asserting that the matter is now before the court.

In a statement released today, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) emphasised that the ED had approached the court itself. The party suggested that instead of repeatedly issuing summonses, the ED should await the court’s decision on the validity of the matter.

The ongoing legal battle between Mr Kejriwal and the ED has escalated, with the probe agency persistently summoning the Delhi Chief Minister, who has consistently refused to comply. The sixth summons comes in the wake of a Delhi court’s directive to Arvind Kejriwal to appear and explain his non-compliance with the previous summons.

Mr Kejriwal’s refusal to appear before the ED raises the possibility of him becoming the first sitting chief minister to face arrest.

The ED, investigating money laundering charges, has been probing allegations related to the Delhi liquor excise policy. The case revolves around accusations that the AAP government’s revamped alcohol sales policy allowed it to receive kickbacks from cartels, allegedly funneled into funding election expenses in various states, including Goa.

While Mr Kejriwal has not been named as an accused in the case, two senior AAP members, including ex-Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, have faced arrests.

The AAP vehemently denies all charges, asserting that the BJP is manipulating investigative agencies to target the party.

In a major intervention in the case linked to the alleged atrocities against villagers in Sandeshkhali, the Supreme Court has paused a Parliament Committee proceedings against top officers of the West Bengal government.

The court has issued notices to the Lok Sabha Secretariat, West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar, and the Union Home Ministry, and sought their responses within four weeks.

The Privileges Committee of the Parliament had ordered the Chief Secretary of West Bengal, the state Director General of Police and the local District Magistrate, Superintendent of Police and the police station in-charge to appear before it on Monday.

The notice was issued after Mr Majumdar, an MP from Balurghat, was injured during a clash with cops when a party delegation visited the remote island.

The case surrounds a Trinamool leader and local strongman Sheikh Sahajan, who and his aides have been accused of systematically exploiting the villagers and multiple counts of sexual assault. Two of his henchmen – Uttam Sardar and Shibu Prasad Hazra – have been arrested, but Shahjahan is still on the run.

Governor CV Ananda Bose, who has visited Sandeshkhali, said that “women in numbers” have told him they were harassed and intimidated, and that he has forwarded their written complaints to the state government.

“Women in numbers met me and told me about their grievance. They said they were molested, harassed and intimidated, their husbands were beaten up,” Mr Bose told NDTV.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused the BJP of making a “mountain out of a molehill”. “Instead of peace, they are starting fires,” she has claimed.

The National Commission for Scheduled Castes, which visited Sandeshkhali last week, had recommended President’s Rule in the state amid violence and political tension.