Chandigarh, March 4 -- Talks between the Punjab government and Samyukta Kisan Morcha leaders to discuss farmers' demands broke down midway on Monday with farmer leaders claiming a "livid" chief minister Bhagwant Mann "walked out of the meeting in a huff without any provocation".

Following the meeting, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) leaders announced to go ahead with their call for a week-long sit-in in Chandigarh starting March 5.

Mann, on his part, said his doors are always open for talks with the farmers, but inconvenience and harassment of the public in the name of agitation should be avoided. The state government had invited the SKM leaders for a meeting with the chief minister at the Punjab Bhawan here ahead of their planned prote...