confronting-agitating-farmers-audacious-mann-wins-hearts

Something that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not able to do, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann did on March 19, by removing the agitating farmers from Shambhu and Khanauri borders. The agitating farmers had economically suffocated Punjab since February 14, 2024, having blocked direct access to the state for over 13 months.

 

Mann has consistently been urging farmers not to resort to frequent ‘sit-ins’ and dharnas and blockades as it leads to a lot of harassment to common people. He had repeatedly been hinting that the blockades were not a solution. The farmers would counter him telling him that his party was the product of protests and agitations only. That is true, but the AAP never blocked any roads, trains or highways to force its point.

 

The March 19 action against the agitating farmers has been extensively hailed by masses across north India in general and Punjab in particular. The agitating farmers had set up temporary “settlements” at Shambhu and Khanuri borders, two main entry points to the state.

 

People traveLling to and from Punjab had to take a detour through villages on small roads, which would get frequently blocked. This continued for over 13 months. It had not happened even during the 2020-21 agitation, when farmers protested on the Delhi border. That time the farmers had not blocked the passage. Although the flow of traffic was not smooth due to the protests, the roads were not completely blocked the way they were this time since February 2024.

 

Not only did it lead to harassment to common people, the trade, business and industry bore the brunt. Transportation got delayed and added heavily to the fuel costs. Taxi operators were the worst sufferers as people preferred trains over road travel due to the blockade. While the farmers sat on dharna on the Punjab side, the Haryana government erected a concrete wall to prevent any movement of farmers towards Delhi.

 

For some time, everybody had reconciled to the fact of permanent blockade and felt unimaginable that the highway will open anytime in the near future. This was because the farmers were being supported and patronized by the opposition parties. Whenever Mann hinted at some action, the opposition parties would be up in arms against him.

 

The agitating farmers would feel emboldened. They never bothered about the common public whom they were subjecting to unnecessary harassment. Besides, having tasted blood in 2021, when the Prime Minister Modi withdrew three farm laws with an apology to agitating farmers, they thought they could continue with the agitation this time also and force the government to accept their demands.

 

The agitating farmers’ demand is highly unrealistic and is not even required. Their principal demand is “legal guarantee” for the Minimum Support Price, to be fixed on the Swaminathan Commission recommendations. No government ever in India can afford that. It will incur a mammoth cost of about Rs 10 lakh crores every year. This is unimaginable.

 

The farmers of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh are practically already having a “legal guarantee” on MSP for wheat and paddy, the two main crops they grow. Each and every grain the farmers produce is purchased by the government at the MSP. So where is the need for “legal guarantee”, when it practically already exists in Punjab, the epicenter of farmers’ agitation?

 

A few weeks ago, Chief Minister Mann walked out of a meeting with farmer leaders when they rejected his appeal to call off their planned protest in Chandigarh the next day. Mann told them when they were not prepared to call off the protest, what was the point of holding the meeting.

 

For the farmer leaders, the agitation did not come at any cost. Rather it was a lucrative occupation for them. They were getting huge donations. Besides, they did not need to camp in on the protest sites personally, where the workers were deputed turn by turn. The farmer leaders practically “enjoyed” their protests, which came with substantial perks. Whenever and wherever they wanted, they would block the roads and at times, trains also. They continued with their intransigence under the assumption that no government can afford to confront them lest it loses the support of the peasantry.

 

But Chief Minister Mann proved too tough for them. He eventually ordered the police to clear both the entry/exit points at Shambhu and Khanauri. Punjab Police did not take much time to clear these places. The agitating farmers, who were not many in number, did not offer any resistance. The police also demolished the temporary structures at the two places, which were equipped with all the facilities to make living there comfortable.

 

The opposition parties, including the Congress, the BJP and the Shiromani Akali Dal, have quite along expected lines condemned the “forced eviction” of farmers from the protest sites and the arrest of their leaders. The Congress has accused Mann of doing the BJP government’s bidding, although union minister of state in railways, Ravneet Singh Bittu has condemned the police action.

 

The common people in general and those from trade and industry in particular have heaved a sigh of relief. Although it may take some time for the trade and industry to get back to the normal routine, they have hope of revival now. The trade and industry representatives during a meeting with the AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal in Ludhiana a few days back had strongly urged him for removing the road blockade.

 

It actually needed strong political will and courage to take on agitating farmers, who during the last few years have become a law unto themselves. With support from the opposition parties, they exploited the political faultlines holding both the government and people to ransom. Eventually, the government realized, enough was enough and it swung into action and evicted all of them from the protest sites. 

 

It was possible because Chief Minister Mann showed the strong political will to confront them, come what may to restore order.