As farmers protest against his wife and heckle her, kisaana da raakha maintains radio silence

The farmers also tried to lay a siege to Amarinder’s Moti Bagh palace in Patiala on Wednesday but the police intervened and stopped them enroute.

3 min readChandigarhMay 10, 2024 07:51 AM IST

Former Punjab CM Amarinder Singh. (File)

Taking pride in calling himself kisaana da raakha (saviour of farmers), and once accused by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of allowing passage to farmers during their 2020 agitation in Delhi, former chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh is quietly witnessing from the sidelines his MP wife Preneet Kaur being gheraoed by the agitating agriculturists.

The farmers also tried to lay a siege to Amarinder’s Moti Bagh palace in Patiala on Wednesday but the police intervened and stopped them enroute. Farmers had given a call to sit on a morcha outside his palace.

Preneet Kaur, considered a soft-spoken politician, has been heckled by farmers while campaigning. She is not the only Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leader to face such protests. BJP’s Faridkot candidate, Hans Raj Hans too is being heckled by farmers. But it was Preneet who hit headlines, after a farmer, Surinderpal Singh, died while protesting against her on Saturday last. A case was registered against a BJP leader, Harwinder Singh Harpalpur under Section 304 of IPC for culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

While the government was barely able to handle the situation arising out of the protester’s death, Preneet’s vehicle was stopped by farmers at Sanour, where she had gone to campaign Thursday. The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Punjab asked the farmers to let leaders campaign. State BJP chief had written to Punjab Chief Electoral Officer raising the issue. BJP nominee from Ludhiana Ravneet Bittu had also appealed to farmers to allow the BJP leaders to enter villages. Amarinder, however, has continued to remain silent on the issue.

Amarinder’s stock in Punjab had gone up especially among farmers after 2004, when during his first stint as CM, he had brought Punjab Termination of Agreement Bill annulling all its water sharing agreements with Haryana and Rajasthan. The government led by him had refused to share water with Haryana through Sutle Yamuna Link. UPA-I was ruling the Centre then. He often recalled in his interviews how then AICC chief Sonia Gandhi had got so upset with him that at one point of time it appeared that he would be removed as CM.

Later, during his second stint as CM, from 2017 to 2021, Punjab became the first state to bring a resolution in its Assembly to reject four controversial farm laws of the Centre.

At that time, farmer unions had been staging dharna at Singhu and Tikri borders of Delhi. The BJP led Centre had then accused Amarinder of not stopping them from moving towards national capital.

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During 2020, Amarinder had projected himself as a leader of farmers. A video, portraying him as ‘kisaana da raakha’ was released.

However, in the face of protests by farmers, especially against his wife, Amarinder has not yet spoken on the issue.

Kanchan Vasdev

Kanchan Vasdev is a Senior Assistant Editor in The Indian Express’ Punjab bureau. She is a highly experienced journalist with 22 years of expertise covering high-stakes politics, governance, and social issues in Northern India. Professional Background Role: Primary reporter covering the Punjab Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), government policies, and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leadership in the state. Experience: She previously worked with The Tribune and has played a key role in launching various city editions. Special Projects: Abandoned Brides: Authored a monograph on brides abandoned by NRIs as part of the Prabha Dutt Memorial Fellowship. Environment: Worked as a Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) fellow, focusing on the pollution levels in the Satluj river. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent reporting focuses on the legislative strategies and political maneuvers of the Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government: 1. Legislative & Governance Standoffs "Punjab govt advances special Assembly session to pass resolution against VB-G RAM G Bill" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on the state's move to block the Centre's "Viksit Bharat" mission, which the state claims will undermine MGNREGA. "Punjab govt doubles down on special sessions, sixth in January" (Dec 19, 2025): Detailing the AAP government's use of special sessions as a legislative tool amid tensions with the Governor. "Punjab asks 'VIP teachers' working near Chandigarh to go back to border districts" (Dec 16, 2025): Reporting on CM Mann's move to end the practice of influential teachers avoiding postings in remote areas. 2. Political Analysis & Rural Polls "Punjab rural polls: Why Akalis are likened to dinosaurs in Punjab" (Dec 19, 2025): Analyzing CM Bhagwant Mann's rhetoric against the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) following local body elections. "AAP claims win in 78% Punjab zila parishads as counting continues" (Dec 18, 2025): Breaking down the results of the 2025 rural elections. "Rahul Gandhi and Sidhu alike, says Bhagwant Mann" (Dec 13, 2025): Covering the CM's critique of the Congress leadership. 3. Law Enforcement & Bureaucracy "Suspended Punjab IPS officer Ravjot Kaur Grewal awaits reinstatement" (Dec 10, 2025): Investigative reporting on the bureaucratic red tape involving the Election Commission and the state government. "Punjab declines to give parole to Amritpal Singh" (Nov 27, 2025): Detailing the state government's refusal to grant parole to the radical preacher and sitting MP. 4. Welfare & Economy "Punjab government's plan to add more freebies to 'atta-dal' scheme hits funds roadblock" (Dec 4, 2024): An analysis of the fiscal challenges facing the state's flagship food security program. "Mann leads Punjab delegation to Japan and South Korea for investor outreach" (Dec 2, 2025). Signature Beat Kanchan Vasdev is known for her insider access to Punjab's political executive. Her writing provides deep insights into how state policies are formulated and the friction points between the state government and central authorities. Her dual expertise in environment and law allows her to report on complex issues like the "Farmhouse Policy" (Dec 18, 2025) and river pollution with a unique policy-oriented lens. X (Twitter): @kanchan99 ... Read More

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