Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Friday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi in a courtesy visit. During the meeting, the chief minister raised various issues concerning Punjab, including the farmers’ protests that will complete a year in November. He urged the Prime Minister to resume dialogue with the farmers who are agitating at Delhi borders against the Centre’s three agriculture laws.
resume dialogue with the protesting farmers. I demanded that the three laws should be withdrawn,” Channi said, speaking to the media after the meeting.
Channi also asked PM Modi to start paddy procurement after the Centre postponed it till October 11 over delayed crop maturity owing to recent heavy rains. “Procurement season usually begins in Punjab on October 1, but this year Centre has decided to begin it on Oct 10. I have requested him to start procurement now,” Channi said.
He requested the Prime Minister to open Kartarpur Corridor for devotees at the earliest. Kartarpur Corridor is a visa-free border crossing that connects the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan to the border with India. It is closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dedicated to the 550th Parkash Gurpurb (birth anniversary) of Guru Nanak, the corridor was inaugurated by the Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan in 2019. The corridor remained operational for only four months before governments of both countries closed it to curb the virus spread.
The meeting between Channi and PM Modi comes in the backdrop of bitter infighting in the Punjab Congress. Early this week, Navjot Singh Sidhu stepped down as the chief of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, though reports said he will continue in the post as he has been placated.
On Thursday, Amarinder Singh who resigned from the post of chief minister in September said he will leave the party due to the mistreatment by the high command. The Congress’ veteran leader also clarified that he will not join the BJP.
The crisis comes as the state is set to hold legislative assembly elections next year.
