A fresh tension surfaced in Punjab as the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government and the farmer unions locked horns right ahead of the 'Chandigarh Chalo' protests organized by the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on March 5. The SKM is an umbrella group of 37 farmers' unions.
As per reports, the state police detained several protesters in a midnight raid ahead of their planned demonstrations in Chandigarh. The development came a day after Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann walked out of a SKM meeting.
In a bid to implement the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission report, the 'Chandigarh Chalo' protest was called by the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU). Moreover, the protest was also supposed to highlight the farmers' ongoing frustration with both the state and central governments.
ALSO READ | Capturing The Gestalt Of The Farmers' Protest
AAP Govt Detains Farmers
As per a report by India Today, the midnight crackdowns on the agitating farmers came hours after CM Mann stormed out of a meeting midway following which several farmers have gone underground.
BKU (Rajewal) vice president Mukesh Chander Sharma said that his house was also raided at 4 am, as per PTI.
Defending Mann's action, AAP spokesperson Malwinder Kang said that the Punjab Chief Minister had given a patient hearing to the farmers' grievances before leaving for a pre-scheduled doctor's appointment.
About The SKM Meeting: What Did The CM Say?
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".
Confirming the incident, Mann told reporters that he walked out of the meeting when SKM leaders mentioned plans to protest from March 5 onwards.
"Yes, I left the meeting, and we will detain them as well...Won’t allow farmers to sit on tracks and roads," Mann said.
Mann further revealed that he had asked farmers to call off the strikes, stating that the state could not be held to ransom.
"I told farmers that every day you hold 'rail roko', 'sadak roko' protest...This is causing immense losses to Punjab. The state is facing economic losses. Punjab is becoming a state of 'dharna'. Don't take my soft-heartedness into thinking that I do not take action," Mann said.
Shedding light on why he stormed out "without provocation", Mann said that he had told the farmers that meeting and 'morcha' can't go hand in hand.
"But if you tell me that morcha will continue along with the meeting, I cancel the meeting, and you can continue with the morcha," Mann had said before walking out.
