Land policy withdrawal reinforces farm groups' influence in rural Punjab
Farm unity and support for farm unions in Punjab found little support when the state govt dismantled the protests at Shambhu and Khanauri in March this year. This lack of support had been growing against a narrative that was being built against them.
It started when Dallewal broke away to form a separate faction named SKM (Non-Political), while groups led by veteran leader Balbir Singh Rajewal ventured into electoral politics, unsuccessfully contesting the Feb 2022 assembly elections.
Another blow came on March 3 this year, when chief minister Bhagwant Mann invited SKM-affiliated farmer organisations for talks ahead of their planned protest in Chandigarh on March 5. The meeting ended in acrimony, with farmers accusing the CM of insulting them.
Tensions escalated on March 19, when leaders from SKM (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha were returning from a meeting with central and state ministers.
Punjab govt detained several farm leaders and dismantled protest sites at Shambhu and Khanauri, marking another low point for the movement. "Considering all this, the state may have assumed that the farm movement was on its last leg. But when the Punjab govt introduced the land pooling policy on May 14, it inadvertently helped consolidate the farming community, as the policy directly threatened their interests," said Hamir Singh, who has been folowingthe protests closely.
Hamir said like the 2020-21 farm stir, which gradually grew into a large movement, the protests against the policy too grew over time. "Within no time, the protests evolved into a full-fledged movement," he said.
In earlier protests against AAP govt in Punjab, villagers had mobilised independently, forming local-level committees with some support from farm organisations. This time too, said Hamir Singh, villages in Ludhiana began resisting the policy on their own.
"But as the issue grew in scale, farm groups joined the cause, transforming scattered resistance into a full-fledged movement," he added.
Social activist Samita Kaur said farm groups should also put their attention to other issues facing Punjab. "The state is facing a crisis of water contamination, which is causing health problems—even if scientific studies haven't yet conclusively proven it. Add to that the central govt's increasing control over dam safety. It's clear that a united farm movement is essential to pressure govts," she said.
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