Once united, why Punjab’s farmers are facing a test as protests widen beyond MSP

However, the level of unity seen during the historic farm laws agitation is missing this time.

Punjab reflects wider fragmentation

Punjab, which had once emerged as the epicentre of a nationwide farmers’ uprising, now presents a fragmented picture. Farmer unions in the state are divided among several forums, each announcing its own protest programmes. Apart from SKM, unions are aligned with the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and SKM (non-political), in addition to various other worker organisations.

“The February 12 general strike has the SKM’s support. This forms a large base of unions, but yes, if all the unions are united on one platform, we would be able to press upon the issues in a better way,” said Raminder Singh Patiala, general secretary of Kirti Kisan Union and a member of SKM’s national coordination committee. “SKM is always open for principal unity, as the issues before us are big, apart from the India-US trade deal,” he added.

The contrast with the 2020-21 agitation is striking. That movement, which eventually led to the repeal of the three central farm laws on November 19, 2021, had united deeply divided unions under the SKM banner. Although SKM continues to exist, several offshoots have since formed their own forums.

Joint struggles, separate paths

The SKM (non-political), led by Punjab farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, and KMM, coordinated by Sarwan Singh Pandher, had jointly organised a prolonged agitation at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders between Punjab and Haryana from February 13, 2024, to March 19, 2025. The protest sought a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) and lasted over 400 days before being forcibly lifted by the Punjab government.

Since then, the two forums have not launched any joint agitation, even though the core demand of MSP as a legal guarantee remains unmet.

“We have no issues with KMM. That was a joint agitation on an issue, and after that, both forums are doing their own programmes. If needed, we can come on a common platform again,” said Dallewal. “If you recall the 2020–21 agitation, we all were divided initially, but gradually came together for a common cause. I am sure that if needed, we can come together again.”

Asked whether divided protests on issues such as trade deals, labour codes, the draft electricity amendment bill, the seed bill and the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Aajeevika Mission-Gramin (VB-G-RAM-G), were yielding results, he said, “Every union is giving its own struggle programmes, and it is not that the government is unaffected—be it the Union government or the Punjab government. In the future, during the course of agitation, if it is needed, a common platform may emerge again.”

State response hardens

Several recent protests indicate that fragmented calls may be allowing governments to act more aggressively. On February 7, members of the farmers’ union BKU Ugrahan were stopped from entering Bathinda city while heading to a protest outside the deputy commissioner’s office, seeking the release of two members who were arrested during a land possession agitation. The police sealed entry points, used tear gas and baton charges, and detained over 350 protestors.

“It was one union’s call, hence the government could dare to act tough,” said a BKU Ugrahan member on condition of anonymity. “Otherwise, we have never seen such shelling by the Punjab government in its present tenure.”

A similar situation unfolded on December 5, 2025, when nearly 600 KMM members were detained ahead of a state-wide rail roko over the draft electricity amendment bill. Though protests did take place at 19 locations, participation was thinner. Again, on January 18 in Majitha, KMM members were prevented from reaching a rally addressed by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal.

“Barricades were placed using tippers and heavy vehicles, and cane charging was also done,” said Sarwan Singh Pandher. Acknowledging the impact of fragmentation, he added, “A united platform can put pressure on the government to be answerable. We, as KMM, advocate principal unity.”

MSP slips into the background

Amid the multiple protests, the once-central demand for a legal guarantee for MSP appears to have receded from public discourse. A farmer union leader said on condition of anonymity, “The agitation for MSP lasted over 400 days, but today larger challenges are dominating the agenda.”

With SKM planning dharnas outside the homes of BJP leaders and AAP MLAs in Punjab on February 22—calls not supported by KMM and SKM (non-political)—the coming weeks may further test whether farmer unions can overcome their divisions or continue to fight parallel battles on an increasingly crowded policy battlefield.

Parallel government charge

Farmer unions in Punjab are also increasingly stepping into disputes that go beyond core agrarian issues, often being approached by villagers to resolve land disputes, family feuds, and marital conflicts. Dallewal said that growing political interference in villages has weakened formal dispute-resolution mechanisms, forcing people to turn to unions for support. “When politicians and even the administration are unable to handle disputes fairly, villagers approach us, and we stand by them. There is a deliberate attempt by political forces to keep unions divided because unity gives farmers strength,” he said.

However, the state government perceives such activism differently. CM Mann has publicly criticised the frequency of farmer protests in the past. In March last year, he had stated that repeated blockades and demonstrations had turned Punjab into a “state of dharnas” and that some unions were trying to create anarchy by “running a parallel government” by promising to resolve villagers’ issues themselves.