A new storm of farmer protest has erupted in Punjab. The detained farmer leaders have started a hunger strike, while the organizations of the United Kisan Morcha have made sensational allegations against the BJP and the AAP of protecting corporate interests. This allegation has been made when the AAP government of Punjab has recently taken major action against the farmer leaders. It tried to suppress the struggle with the rod of the state. The farmers have alleged that after their arrests, the goods in their camps have been looted. The sheds built by the farmers were demolished with bulldozers and many of their tractors were seized.
After which a video is going viral on social media in which it is being said that the tractor trolleys of the farmers have been recovered from the house of Aam Aadmi Party MLA Gurlal Singh Ghanaur. Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira targeted the Punjab government and Gurlal Singh Ghanaur regarding this matter. Khaira had said that I request Bhagwant Mann and DGP Punjab Police to register a case against Aam Aadmi Party MLA Gurlal Singh Ghanaur in the case of stealing tractor-trolleys of farmers from the farmers’ agitation. Khaira said that I also demand criminal action against those police officers who demolished the temporary protest structure and stole many of the farmers’ equipment. Khaira said that therefore I say that Bhagwant Mann has turned Punjab into a police state.
Farmers say that this ongoing struggle for minimum support price is no longer just a fight for the fields, but has become a war between the government and the workers.
It is worth mentioning here that the arrest of 28 farmer leaders after a meeting with Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on March 19 to discuss issues like giving legal status to MSP had shaken the entire country. The Sanyukta Kisan Morcha and the Sanyukta Kisan Morcha and non-political parties have made serious allegations against the BJP government at the Centre and the AAP government in Punjab of coming together to protect corporate interests.
According to Gurdeep Singh Chahal, spokesperson of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Sidhupur), 28 leaders including Dalawal, Sarwan Singh Pandher are on a hunger strike in police custody. As soon as he entered Punjab from Chandigarh, he was taken into custody by the Punjab Police. The farmers’ camp on the Shambhu border was completely demolished with bulldozers. Hundreds of activists are in custody. Describing this repression as more brutal than the colonial era, he accused the BJP and AAP of conspiring against the farmers. SKM official and Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) coordinator Pavel Kusa said that till now AAP used to claim that it is separate from BJP, but this crackdown has made it clear that both are together to protect corporate interests.
The Sanyukt Kisan Morcha-Non-Political and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, Shiromani Akali Dal, Congress, BSP have sharply attacked Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and said that the arrest of the leaders called for the meeting is proof of the government’s betrayal.
Bahujan Samaj Party Punjab President Dr. Avtar Singh Karimpuri said that at the behest of the Center to prevent farmers from going to Delhi, the BJP government of Haryana and the AAP government of Punjab have resorted to various tactics and oppressed the farmers.
Former Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said that the Punjab government should immediately release the arrested farmers and accept their demands.
Former Punjab cabinet minister and Congress leader Pargat Singh has described the government’s action as a stab in the back of the farmers.
Former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi has also opposed the arrests of the farmers. Charanjit Channi said, “Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi. After that, action was taken against the farmers under Amit Shah’s policies. Today, I regret to say that Bhagwant Mann has bowed down before the Center.
On the other hand, Punjab Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwa justified the action of the Punjab Police and said that Punjab was suffering losses due to the closure of the road. He said that the closure of the border was causing financial devastation by closing the way of business.
Farmer leaders believe that this incident is not just a story of arrests, but it exposes the deep nexus between the government and corporate powers. The legal status of MSP guarantees the livelihood of farmers, but it poses a threat to corporate profits. The BJP and AAP, who seem to be at odds with each other on political platforms, seem to be in the same camp on this issue. The demolition of the protest site at the Shambhu border and the hunger strike by the leaders expose the face of the government that is encouraging corporates in the name of democracy.
The question is whether this repression will silence the farmers, or will it give new strength to their fight. Even though the farmers are being released, this is not going to calm the anger of the farmers.
Why did the farmers’ movement fail
Some farmers’ organizations from Haryana were certainly with this movement, but this movement did not get the support it needed from the southern states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan. It seemed as if the farmers of Punjab were the ones demanding MSP.
Rajinder Singh Deepwala, president of Kirti Kisan Union, was not a part of this movement. But he has been a part of the Sanyukta Kisan Morcha. He says
No, “We also advised that the MSP demand will be fulfilled only when this movement is also raised in other states. But the farmer leaders were saying that the impact of the movement will be seen gradually, which could not be seen within a year. However, Rajinder Singh Deepwala also says that this action of the Punjab government did not end the movement, the government has certainly tried to suppress it but the government will get its answer in the coming time.”
Senior journalist Jaspal Singh Sidhu says that this dharna was going on for 13 months, in the initial days the people of Punjab were associated with the dharna but people backed out of this dharna when people started facing problems.”
Due to the road closure, the support of the common people to the farmers decreased. The youth were not joining this dharna.”
Professor Kesar Singh Bhangu says that the farmers did not pay attention to making this strategy in this movement. They were making one call after another, which was not yielding any result and this agitation was not moving towards any destination despite ongoing meetings with the Centre.”
Farmer leader Tejveer Singh says, “The Punjab government is crying out that traders were incurring losses, that is why we took this action. Farmers are not getting the price of sugarcane, what is the Punjab government doing about the crores of rupees being incurred by Punjab farmers. Farmers are demanding compensation for crop damage, when will the Punjab government compensate for this loss of farmers.”
He said that the industry of Ludhiana, whose suffering the government is telling, is polluting the Budha Nallah, when will the government take action against it. This industry is making our crops and the whole of Punjab sick.
Tejveer Singh, opposing the action of forcibly removing the farmers’ tents, tractors and trolleys, says, “The roads were blocked by the Haryana government, if the bulldozers were to be driven, they should have walked on the walls made by Haryana and not broken the farmers’ tents.”
Senior journalist from Punjab, Hamir Singh, says, “The Ludhiana West by-election is a big reason behind this action. After the defeat of the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi, now the Aam Aadmi Party has its eyes on Punjab. Winning the by-election in Punjab is very important for Arvind Kejriwal and others. If their candidate wins the by-election, he will go to the Rajya Sabha. Hamir Singh further says, “Ludhiana West is a purely urban seat. Where the business class is more, therefore, to please the business class, the Aam Aadmi Party is arguing that we have opened these borders to end the problems of the business class. Hamir Singh says, “Although this action against the farmers may benefit the Aam Aadmi Party in Ludhiana, the Aam Aadmi Party will have to bear its losses for a long time.” Professor Manjit Singh, a former professor of Panjab University, says that looking at the current situation in Punjab, you will feel that the situation is like UP here, that is why bulldozer action is being taken here or the police baton is being used. “The Aam Aadmi Party is failing to understand that the results of such actions in Punjab will prove to be completely opposite to UP. Punjab has a large Sikh population, the farmers who are protesting are also Jat Sikhs. Bhagwant Mann is making a huge mistake by angering them. Professor Manjit further says, “But among all, we also have to think whether these decisions are being made by Bhagwant Mann or the decisions of Delhi are being implemented in Punjab and Bhagwant Mann is just a pawn.
Paramjit Singh Judge is a former professor of politics at Guru Nanak Dev University.
He says that not only the business community, but also the common people were upset due to the closure of the borders. The people of Punjab were demanding that the borders be opened. That is why the Punjab government took the risk of angering a few farmers to please the traders and the common people.”
Punjab suffered a loss of Rs 20,000 crore due to the farmers’ agitation
According to the news of Dainik Bhaskar, the state’s industry has suffered a loss of about Rs 20,000 crore in 13 months. Traders even say that the farmers’ agitation first started in the year 2020 and since then, the industry in Punjab has not been able to stabilize. Many businessmen packed everything in Punjab and moved to Haryana and other states. They estimate that Haryana’s business has increased fourfold in the last two-three years. Now with both the borders open, it is hoped that business activities in Punjab will pick up again.
