With no fresh case of violence, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday called off his fast for farmers, a day after he began the exercise, and declared that peace has returned to the state.
The matter had escalated after the police had opened fire on the crowds during a rally in Mandsaur, while the farmers were demanding a better price for their crops and waiver of loans.
In Mandsaur, the curfew was imposed after five persons were killed in police firing during a farmers' protest on June 6. The Chief Minister, who was on fast amid the ongoing farmers' crisis in his state, broke the fast by drinking coconut water.
Curfew was on Saturday lifted from Mandsaur city as the district, the epicentre of the farmers' agitation in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, remained peaceful though the restrictions on assembly would remain in force.
While on fast at the Dussehra maidan, the CM appealed to farmers to come and discuss their problems with him at the maidan.
The government does not have an understanding of farmers' issues and it wants to fool the people by focusing on communal politics, said Desarda, who is part of ongoing farmer protests in Maharashtra. Their gesture moved me so much that I could not sleep, " Chouhan said.
"The way protests are being promoted, putting farmers in front, it could be political", he said.
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In the last 10 days, farmers resorted to violence during their stir for various demands, including a complete loan waiver. Instead of sitting on an "upvaas" (fast), he should go to "vanvaas" (exile).
Continuing the serial protest, villages in Karauli, Dausa, Pali, Chhittorgarh and Pratapgarh districts will observe the "bandh" on Monday, he said adding that various other bodies representing farmers are also joining hands to collectively raise their voice. Chouhans' fast, which he has started after six farmers died in police firing in Mandsaur, seems to have been initiated under the guidance of the BJP central leadership.
"The families came, met me and told me that you don't need to fast".
A price stabilisation corpus of Rs 1,000 crore will be constituted.
Agriculture land will not be forcibly acquired for urban schemes.
The chief minister, reaching out to cultivators, also met 15 delegations of small farmers and 236 panels of big farmers on Saturday. They were detained and later released.
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