Bhubaneswar: A seven-member team of BJD MLAs, led by senior legislator and BJD spokesperson Amar Prasad Satpathy, on Monday met Nabanirman Krushak Sangathan (NKS) members who are on a dharna at the Lower PMG here for the last 11 days.
Satpathy said, “We have requested the agitating farmers to withdraw their strike. Some demands have been met, others will be fulfilled in the coming days.”
Meanwhile, the farmers’ body demanded that the government must admit suicide of farmers and provide pension to peasants.
Akshaya Kumar, convener, NKS, said, “If they (the government) announce the fulfillment of our demands by this evening, we will decide our future course of action tomorrow. If not, we will further intensify our strike.”
Notably, the farmers’ body has been holding demonstration at the Lower PMG Square in Bhubaneswar from February 18 to press their long pending demands such as implementation of pension scheme for farmers, payment of compensation to the kin of farmers who committed suicide, higher minimum support price, better procurement facilities, better social accord and drought compensation, among others.
Prior to this, thousands of farmers from across Odisha had launched a two-day march from Cuttack to Bhubaneswar demanding fulfillment of their demands.