“We will present the State’s farming sector as a model before the country,” said AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal while lauding the Punjab Government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, for taking “farmer-friendly decisions” on May 22, 2022. However, after three years of AAP’s Government in Punjab, the claim made by the AAP supremo fell flat, as farmers across the State have been protesting for several days to get their demands fulfilled. Their 18 demands include a legal guarantee for MSP, farm loan waivers and higher agricultural income. The Government’s failure to address these issues has led to growing discontent among the farming community, raising questions about AAP’s commitment to its promises.
The Aam Aadmi Party, which rose to prominence in Punjab due to the support to farmers’ protests against the Union Government over 3 farm-laws and later came to power by promising swift implementation of Minimum Support Price (MSP) on crops and making Punjab the leading State in farming and farmers’ income, is now facing severe backlash from the farming community.
Farmers’ anger erupts against AAP
While Punjab’s farmers continue their protest, the AAP Government in Punjab is under fire from opposition parties to fulfill its pre-poll promises of procuring crops at MSP. During the 2022 Assembly elections, AAP had assured farmers that they would implement MSP on crops in Punjab itself. However, the situation on the ground tells a different story.
On March 19, Punjab Police detained farmer activist Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) head Sarvan Singh Pandher, along with several other prominent agitators, in Mohali. They were returning after attending a meeting with a Central Government delegation in Chandigarh. The police also forcefully evicted protesting farmers from Shambhu and Khanauri borders.
This eviction took place despite earlier assurances from Punjab Govt that the protest sites would not be disturbed. But, by the evening of March 19, both protest sites had been cleared. Over 250 protesters were detained from Khanauri, some from Mohali, and 110 from Shambhu, a senior Punjab Police officer said. Protesters were reportedly shifted to a marriage hall.
Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) Ekta Sidhupur leader Kulwant Singh claimed that farmers, especially the elderly, were given no time to vacate, leaving behind their belongings and tractor-trailers. Deepu, a close aide of Dallewal, alleged that over 150 farmers were forcibly rounded up in a matter of minutes. However, Sangrur SSP Sartaj Singh Chahal stated that the operation was carried out peacefully.
Once the face of farmers’ agitation, Rakesh Tikait condemned the Punjab Government’s action. “In the ongoing agitation on the border of Punjab, on one hand the Government is negotiating with the farmer organisations and on the other hand it is arresting them. We strongly condemn the action of the Punjab government and all the farmer organisations are ready for every struggle,” Tikait posted on X.
Condemning the detention of farmer leaders, Union Minister and BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu accused the AAP government of trying to “sabotage” talks between the Centre and farmers.
Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, however, justified the crackdown, citing damage to trade and industry due to highway blockades. “AAP is committed to youth and employment generation. Businesses can only thrive if industries function smoothly,” he said.
“Trade has been suffering. After considering all situations, this action has been taken. We have been telling farmer leaders that their fight was with the Centre. ‘You fight with the Centre. We are with you. You are causing heavy loss to Punjab by closing the border,” Cheema said.
Interestingly, earlier, the AAP leaders were justifying a year-long blockade on Delhi’s borders against the Union Government, calling it their “right”.
AAP’s desperation ahead of Ludhiana by-poll
The Punjab Government’s crackdown on protesting farmers comes in a hurry at a politically sensitive time, as the Ludhiana West Assembly seat by-poll is due by July 11. Reports indicate that the AAP Government is rapidly losing public support, especially in rural areas.
AAP has already nominated industrialist-turned-politician Sanjeev Arora, a Rajya Sabha MP, as its candidate. Arvind Kejriwal recently visited Ludhiana, where he reportedly received feedback from the industrial community that AAP is losing trader votes due to the prolonged farmer blockade.
AAP’s Hypocrisy: U-Turn from 2022 Pre-poll promises
Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann’s response to the ongoing protests is in stark contrast to AAP’s stance during the 2021 farmers’ agitation at Delhi’s Singhu border. Back then, the Congress Government was in power in Punjab, and the AAP openly supported the protestors. The Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi Government had provided extensive logistical support to the farmers during their year-long sit-in at the border.
Rural voters, convinced by AAP’s pro-farmer stance, had overwhelmingly backed the party in the 2022 Punjab elections, leading to an unprecedented 92-seat victory in the 117-member Assembly. However, the party’s current actions indicate a complete shift in its position.
Earlier this month, CM Mann stated that he is not the Chief Minister of just one section of Punjab but 3.5 crore people, implying that farmers were inconveniencing traders, students, and employees.
On March 4, Mann lashed out at Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) leaders, accusing them of turning Punjab into a “state of protests”, causing economic losses and public inconvenience.
“All talks with farmers are over. They can sit on protests if they want. Why should I waste my time on negotiations if dharnas are never going to stop?” he said.
He further accused farmers’ unions of running a parallel Government, claiming they are indulged in competitive protests to outshine each other and were being funded by villagers for personal issues unrelated to farming.
However, farmer leaders rejected Mann’s allegations. BKU (Rajewal) leader Balbir Singh Rajewal stated that CM Mann became hyper and walked out of the meeting.
“He suddenly became hyper and left the meeting in a huff. He wanted us to give him an assurance that we will not hold our dharna. We told him that the decision not to hold the dharna or postpone the dharna could be taken collectively only after the outcome of the meeting became clear, not before that. But he got very angry and got up and left saying that whatever demands he had agreed to by that time, too, stood nullified,” said Balbir Singh Rajewal, heading BKU (Rajewal), while speaking to media persons after the meeting.
Notably, two protests have been ongoing at Punjab’s borders: one at the Khanauri Border, led by Jagjit Singh Dallewal, head of SKM, and the other at the Shambhu Border, led by Sarwan Singh Pandher of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM).
Initially, both factions worked together, but differences between the leaders led to a split, with Dallewal shifting his base to Khanauri.
Akal Takht, acting Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj, said Punjab is moving towards becoming a police state. “The very Government (AAP) which emerged from protests is now suppressing democratic values and principles. When India has a constitutional democracy and a judicial system, how can such blatant and inhumane actions be justified?” he said.
Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) head Harjinder Singh Dhami said that the deceitful arrest of farmers is a big insult to the nation’s food providers. “It is extremely painful that the farmers, who have contributed significantly to the country’s progress, prosperity, and economy are today suffering due to the anti-farmer policies of the Governments,” he said.
AAP losing farmers’ trust
With Punjab assembly elections just two years away, Bhagwant Mann’s tougher stance on farmers will be closely watched, as it may determine AAP’s future in the State.
Local reports suggest that AAP has lost the sympathy of Punjab’s rural voters. The discontent among people is growing rapidly, with farmers feeling betrayed by the very party they had trusted. The AAP is now being viewed as an opportunistic party that had made promises to them just for electoral gains.
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