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Indian Express
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Ahead of Tuesday's protest call, a midnight crackdown on Punjab farmers' leaders; Jagjit Singh Dallewal under house arrest
The Punjab Police launched coordinated action against several farmer leaders in the early hours of Monday ahead of Tuesday's protest call given by the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) outside the Shambhu police station. Jagjit Singh Dallewal, a key face of the ongoing farmers' agitation, was among the prominent leaders placed under house arrest at around 4 am at his house in the Dallewal village in the Faridkot district. 'This is a midnight assault on democracy. Even now, I can barely walk, and yet they have confined me to my home. All we had announced was a one-day peaceful protest outside the Shambhu police station. People must now rise and speak out, or they will silence all our voices,' said Dallewal, visibly weak after a recent prolonged hunger strike. The police action was not limited to Dallewal. Multiple leaders across Punjab were either detained or placed under house arrest in a sweeping move that has drawn sharp criticism from various farmer organisations. While leaders like Baldev Singh Sirsa were also confined to their homes, others like Sukhjeet Singh Hardo Jhande, Kulwinder Singh Panjola, Hardev Singh Chitti, Gurpreet Singh Cheena, Shera Athwal, and Harvinder Singh Masaania were taken into custody and lodged at different police stations, including Batala, Ropar, Dorangla, and Sekhwan, said KMM leader Sukhdev Singh Bhojraj. The arrests are being seen as a pre-emptive measure by the authorities fearing a large-scale gathering at Shambhu, where KMM and Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) staged a 36-day dharna from February 13, 2024, to March 19, 2025, demanding, a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) among other things. That protest was forcibly cleared on March 19 when several top leaders were returning from talks with the Centre and the Punjab Government, and were arrested en route from Mohali. Dallewal alleged, 'During the March 19 crackdown at Shambhu and Khanauri borders, the police misbehaved with farmer leaders and displaced tractors, trolleys, and personal belongings. Some items were later recovered from the houses of influential people connected to the ruling government, including a police employee. We demanded action, but nothing was done. Instead, they're now arresting us for demanding justice.' In a fresh escalation, the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) Sunday night gave a call for a rail roko protest at the Devidaspura Railway Station on the main Amritsar- Delhi line beginning May 7. The protest is against alleged forced land acquisition for the Bharatmala highway project in Amritsar without adequate compensation. KMSC coordinator Sarwan Singh Pandher warned that the protest may spread to more stations from May 8 onwards, including Basti Tenkan Wali at Ferozepur, if the issue remains unresolved. Farmer leaders have urged all like-minded organisations and the public to unite against what they termed the Punjab Government's 'diktat to silence dissent.'
New Indian Express
02-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Centre postpones May 4 talks with Punjab farmers over demand to exclude state government
CHANDIGARH: The Union Government has postponed the scheduled May 4 meeting with Punjab-based farmer unions after the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) insisted on excluding representatives of the Punjab government from the discussions. The Centre, in response, urged the farmer leaders to reconsider their stance, emphasising the importance of state participation in a federal setup. A letter in this regard was sent by Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Puran Chandra Kishan, to both KMM and SKM (Non-Political). 'As you know, state governments have an important role in the federal structure. Therefore, it would be appropriate to include the state government in the meeting. You are requested to reconsider the above decision, so that we can move forward towards a solution through dialogue. Therefore, it is requested that after positive deliberation, you give your consent for the meeting with the participation of the state. The meeting of May 4 is postponed till we get your consent. The date of the next meeting will be decided after receiving information from you,' stated the letter.
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Business Standard
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
Centre defers May 4 meeting with farmers over participation of Punjab govt
The communication came days after farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal said that they would be forced to boycott the talks if Punjab government representatives were invited Press Trust of India Chandigarh The Centre on Thursday deferred the proposed May 4 meeting with farmer leaders here, urging them to allow Punjab government officials to participate. Union agriculture ministry's joint secretary Puran Chandra Kishan wrote to the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) in this regard. The communication came days after farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal said that they would be forced to boycott the talks if Punjab government representatives were invited. He claimed the farming community harboured deep resentment against the Punjab government over the eviction of protesting farmers from Shambhu and Khanauri border points in March. The SKM (Non-Political) and KMM on April 27 wrote a letter to Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, urging the Centre not to include representatives of the Punjab government in the proposed meeting. In Thursday's letter, joint secretary Kishan said, "As you know, state governments have an important role in the federal structure. Therefore, it would be appropriate to include the state government in the meeting. You are requested to reconsider the above decision, so that we can move forward towards a solution through dialogue". "Therefore, it is requested that after positive deliberation, you give your consent for the meeting with the participation of the state. The meeting of 4 May is postponed till we get your consent. The date of the next meeting will be decided after receiving information from you," stated the letter, which was released by the farmers. Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, when asked about the farmers' demand, said none of the ministers or officials will join the talks this time. "Your (farmers') demands concern the Centre. You hold talks directly with it. We do not have any problem," said Mann. On March 19, Punjab Police had cracked down on agitating farmers, detaining their leaders in Mohali when they were returning from a meeting with a central delegation led by Agriculture Minister Chouhan in Chandigarh. The farmer leaders and some other farmers who were detained were released in subsequent days. The March 19 meeting was organised to discuss the farmers' demands, including the MSP guarantee. Punjab Police had last month evicted farmers and dismantled temporary structures from the Shambhu and Khanauri border points where the sit-ins were being held by them for over a year. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Hindu
02-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Centre defers May 4 meeting with farmers over participation of Punjab Government
The Centre on Thursday (May 1, 2025) deferred the proposed May 4 meeting with farmer leaders in Chandigarh, urging them to allow Punjab Government officials to participate. Union Agriculture Ministry's joint secretary Puran Chandra Kishan wrote to the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) in this regard. The communication came days after farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal said that they would be forced to boycott the talks if Punjab government representatives were invited. He claimed the farming community harboured deep resentment against the Punjab government over the eviction of protesting farmers from Shambhu and Khanauri border points in March. The SKM (Non-Political) and KMM on April 27 wrote a letter to Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, urging the Centre not to include representatives of the Punjab government in the proposed meeting. In Thursday's (May 1, 2025) letter, joint secretary Kishan said, 'As you know, State Governments have an important role in the federal structure. Therefore, it would be appropriate to include the state government in the meeting. You are requested to reconsider the above decision, so that we can move forward towards a solution through dialogue'. 'Therefore, it is requested that after positive deliberation, you give your consent for the meeting with the participation of the state. The meeting of 4 May is postponed till we get your consent. The date of the next meeting will be decided after receiving information from you,' stated the letter, which was released by the farmers. Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, when asked about the farmers' demand, said none of the Ministers or officials will join the talks this time. 'Your (farmers') demands concern the Centre. You hold talks directly with it. We do not have any problem,' said Mr. Mann. On March 19, Punjab Police had cracked down on agitating farmers, detaining their leaders in Mohali when they were returning from a meeting with a central delegation led by Agriculture Minister Chouhan in Chandigarh. Also read: Why are farmers protesting again? | Explained The farmer leaders and some other farmers who were detained were released in subsequent days. The March 19 meeting was organised to discuss the farmers' demands, including the Minimum Support Price (MSP) guarantee. Punjab Police had last month evicted farmers and dismantled temporary structures from the Shambhu and Khanauri border points where the sit-ins were being held by them for over a year.
Indian Express
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Centre cancels May 4 talks with farmer unions
The Centre has cancelled the May 4 meeting scheduled with farmer unions after the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and Sanyukt Kisan Morcha – Non-Political asked Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to exclude the Punjab government from the talks. In a letter dated May 1, addressed to KMM and SKM (Non-Political), the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has asked the unions to reconsider their stand. The meeting will be rescheduled after a response is received from the unions. The letter, sent by Joint Secretary Puran Chandra Kishan, states: 'We had written to you on April 25 about our proposed meeting on May 4, to which you replied on April 27, asking us to keep the Punjab government out of the talks or you would not participate in the meeting.' It adds, 'However, in a federal structure, the presence of the state government plays a significant role. Hence, the participation of state government representatives is appropriate.' Sarwan Singh Pandher, coordinator of KMM, said, 'We had categorically told the Union government about our stand, and their reply indicates that the communication regarding our demands is at a standstill now.' He added that KMM and SKM (Non-Political) will hold a meeting on May 3 to decide the future course of action. In their April 27 letter, the farmer leaders had stated that after the March 19 talks, the Punjab government betrayed their trust by arresting several leaders while they were returning from the meeting. The letter also alleged the use of force against peaceful protesters at Shambhu and Khanauri borders. The letter was signed by Abhimanyu Kohar, Jagjit Singh Dallewal, Sukhjit Singh Hardojhande, Sarwan Singh Pandher, and Sukhwinder Kaur, among others. SKM (Non-Political) and KMM had been staging sit-ins at Shambhu and Khanauri borders since February 13, 2024. The protests were cleared on March 19, following the seventh round of talks. Hundreds of farmers were arrested on March 19 and released on March 28. The Punjab Police used force to clear NH-44 and NH-52, with farmer leaders alleging that many trolleys and belongings were lost during the action. The earlier rounds of talks between farmer unions and the Centre were held on February 8, 12, 15, and 18 in 2024, and on February 14, 22, and March 19 in 2025. The farmers' key demands include a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) for all crops, complete loan waivers to address rising debt, and concerns over international trade agreements and their possible adverse effects on Indian agriculture.
