Chandigarh: The Aam Aadmi Party government’ surprise crackdown on farmers protesting at the Punjab-Haryana borders for the last 399 days on March 19 has sent shock waves across the state.
More than 300 farmers including top farmer leaders have been detained while hundreds of others were dispersed following police action.
National highways at Shambhu and Khanuri were cleared and it was declared that they would be open to traffic in a few days. The highways had been blocked since the farmers protest began last year on February 13 on the issue of a law to guarantee minimum support price for crops.
The tension surrounding the Punjab government’s action against farmers had been building up for the past few days. Industrialists and traders from Punjab aired their grievances over the protests in meeting with the AAP’s top leadership. They claimed they had had to suffer major economic losses due to the blockade.
But what farmers did not expect was that the Bhagwant Mann-led government would swing into action soon after farmers finished their latest round of meetings with Union government ministers in Chandigarh on March 19. During the meeting, Union agriculture minister Shivraj Chauhan constituted a committee to study the financial implication of legalising MSP before the next date, May 4. But as soon as 28 members of the farmers’ delegation, including Sarwan Singh Pandher and the ailing Jagjeet Singh Dallewal, left the meeting venue, police took them into custody from different locations.
The scene at Shambhu after the police raids. Photo: By arrangement.
Soon after, a large number of cops reached the protest sites and began clearing up the makeshift infrastructure at Shambhu and Khanauri with the help of heavy machines.
SSP Patiala Nank Singh told reporters that police did not use any force as protesting farmers cooperated with them. “Farmers had been protesting at the Shambhu Border for a long time. Today, in the presence of deputy magistrates, police cleared the area after they were given a proper warning. A few people showed willingness to go home. So, they were sent home on a bus. In addition, the structures and vehicles here are being moved. The entire road will soon be cleared and opened for traffic,” he said.
But farmers had a different version.
Lakhwinder Singh Aulakh, a leader from the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political), which was leading the protest along with Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) told The Wire that AAP’s action against protest farmers was worse than what Bharatiya Janata Party governments have done to them. “BJP’s action against us was for the entire world to see. It did not allow us to cross Haryana for their Delhi morcha and compelled us to sit on the Punjab-Haryana highways. But AAP attacked us from behind. People of Punjab will not forgive them for such cowardly action,” he said.
Satnam Singh Pannu, president of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangrash Committee, a constituent of the KMM, told reporters this morning (March 20) that people had elected the Mann government as AAP had promised “badlaav ki sarkar (government of change)” but whatever Mann’s police did on March 19 came from “badle di bhavana (vengeance).”
Farmers begin hunger strike
Meanwhile, farmers who were detained on March 19 have started a hunger strike at different police stations of Sangrur, Patiala, and Mohali.
KMM and SKM (Non-Political) also announced protests outside the offices of deputy commissioners in Punjab and Haryana today. Farmer leaders across the state have said that they wish to continue with their struggle.
Farmer leader Sawinder Singh said that the “pro-corporate face of the AAP” has been exposed. “We will continue our struggle for our demands and are ready to sacrifice our lives for the cause of farmers’ issues,” he added.
On the other hand, the Haryana government under BJP rule too has begun parallel action. As per media reports, Haryana police pasted notices outside the houses of several farmer union leaders in the state, asking them to join the investigation regarding the pending FIRs against them. Police have also arrested 10 to 12 farm leaders.
AAP justifies police action, opposition calls it cowardly act
Senior AAP leader and Punjab assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan claimed that the prolonged road blockade had had adverse effects ton Punjab’s economy, industry and employment opportunities for the youth.
The scene at Shambhu after the police raids. Photo: By arrangement.
“The people of Punjab and the state government have always stood with the farmers, whether it was during the fight against the three black laws or the Modi government’s plan to turn stadiums into prisons for farmers. However, the continuous closure of highways has caused significant harm to Punjab. Our industries, businesses, and youth are suffering,” said Sandhwan.
Appealing directly to farmer unions, he said, “Your demands, such as MSP, are valid but are related to the central government. We request you to take your struggle to Delhi and hold protests against the BJP government there. Let us keep Punjab’s highways and trade routes open so that our industries and economy can grow. Together, we can ensure Punjab’s progress while addressing farmers’ demands.”
AAP cabinet minister Harpal Singh Cheema spoke on similar lines and said that the ongoing struggle against the Union government’s policies must not come at the cost of Punjab’s economic lifelines.
“During the protest against the three black farm laws imposed by the BJP-led central government, AAP stood firmly with the farmers. Today, the farmers’ demands are still directed at the central government, and their fight must continue at that level,” said Cheema.
He stressed that Punjab is currently waging a critical battle against drugs, and providing employment opportunities to the youth is essential for winning this fight. “If industries are stalled and trade is disrupted, how will we create jobs for our youth?,” Cheema added.
Cheema said that the Punjab government remains committed to supporting farmers in their legitimate demands and claimed that AAP ministers are actively working to present farmers’ concerns before the Union government. “We urge farmer leaders to focus their struggle against the central government while allowing Punjab to progress,” he stated.
On the other hand, senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader and former minister Bikram Singh Majithia strongly condemned the Bhagwant Mann-led government for trying to suppress the voice of Punjab’s farmers by arresting top leaders of farmer associations and said that Majithia has backstabbed farmers.
The scene at Shambhu after the police raids. Photo: By arrangement.
In a statement he said that if anything happened to any farmer then Bhagwant Mann alone would be held responsible.
“Now the chief minister is trying to crush the voice of farmers on the lines of Indira Gandhi who had implemented Emergency in the country,” he said.
In a statement, BJP leader and Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu also condemned the detention of farmer leaders. He alleged the AAP government in Punjab was trying to “sabotage” talks between the Union government and farmers.
“Arvind Kejriwal once provided water, electricity, and WiFi to farmers protesting at the Delhi border, but now the AAP government in Punjab is using bulldozers to dismantle their tents and campsites,” said Amit Malviya, the in-charge of BJP’s ‘IT-cell’.
Congress MP and former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi called the detention of farmer leaders an attack on the farming sector, calling the police action unfortunate.
Senior Congress leader and leader of the opposition (LoP) in the Punjab assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa termed the detentions a “cowardly act.”
Punjab Congress MPs also protested against the crackdown on farmers of the state and raised anti-government slogans in parliament. State Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, MPs Gurjit Aujla, Amar Singh and others sought justice for farmers. “Release the detained farmers,” Warring led the slogans against the BJP and AAP.
In a statement, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, a umbrella body of farmers which successfully led farmers protest against three central farm laws in 2020, also strongly condemned the Punjab government’s move to arrest several SKM (NP) and KMM leaders.
“The AAP government in Punjab has shown that it is committed to enforcing corporate and MNC frameworks in agriculture, and it is for this that it is collaborating and cooperating with the RSS and the BJP at the Centre. It is rather sinister that this move has come after top leaders met industrialists on Tuesday,” said the statement.
