Ahead of bandh by protesting farmers, traders’ body distances itself, says ‘Punjab hurting’

Bansal added: “Repeatedly enforcing Punjab Bandh is a conspiracy to ruin Punjab commercially, economically and socially. We, the people of Punjab, respect and will always respect farmers and soldiers. However, we oppose and will continue to oppose political opportunists disguised as farmers who aim to destroy Punjab.”

The KMM and SKM (Non-Political) have been camping at Shambhu and Khanauri, located on the Punjab-Haryana border, since February 13 this year, raising several demands, the main of which is MSP as a legal guarantee. Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who is on a fast unto death at the Khanauri border for more than a month now, is the coordinator of the SKM (Non-Political).

While the two protest sites – blocking NH-44 at Shambhu, and NH-52 at Khanauri – have attracted supporters, they are nowhere close to the level of 2020-21, when the farmers were protesting against the three agricultural laws. Moreover, there is a growing feeling that while farmer anger is directed at the Centre, it is Punjab that is suffering more.

Badish Jindal, the convenor of the All Industries and Trade Forum, said: “They (the farmers) need to clarify whether they are with Punjab or against Punjab. Last time, the industry supported them wholeheartedly, but this time we are totally against the agitation. If there is a chakka jam or a rail roko, what impact does it have on the Centre? It’s Punjab’s economy that is hurting. Tomorrow, if something happens to Dallewal, again Punjab will suffer. In a nutshell, we are with the farmers but against the nature of the agitation.”

A Ludhiana-based industrialist on the condition of anonymity said: “At the Khanauri border, the number of farmers may be increasing and people may observe the bandh as well, but the support for the agitation is not the same as it was in 2020-21.”

Last week, BJP Punjab spokesperson Pritpal Singh Baliawal posted on X: “Farmer unions are in Punjab, Khanauri and Shambhu Morcha in Punjab, farmers who are dying are from Punjab, rail roko protests are in Punjab, Punjab bandh in Punjab, sit-ins in Punjab, Dallewal, Shubhkaran (who died during a protest earlier this year), and the injured youth and elderly of Punjab, suffering farmers, traders, youth, and others in Punjab. If everything is happening in Punjab, how is this movement for the entire nation? Answer… Why are you sacrificing the sons of Punjab’s mothers for others? Why are you damaging Punjab’s economy?”

The farm unions themselves are not on the same page. The SKM, the flagship organisation which led the 2020-2021 agitation, is not a part of the protests at the Haryana border, though it has expressed support for them. A call for all farmer unions to come together earlier this month failed.

Still, some SKM constituents such as the Krantikari Kisan Union and BKU (Dakaunda) have said they will support the chakka jam and rail roko Monday, while the BKU (Ugrahan) has announced separate programmes in support of the bandh.

The SKM has announced a kisan mahapanchayat in Tohana on January 4, while the SKM (Non-Political) has called for a similar meeting at Khanauri on January 4 inviting farmer unions of other states with whom Dallewal has worked in the past.

On Sunday, khap leaders of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh who met in Haryana’s Hisar said that unless the farmer organisations “struggle unitedly”, the khaps would not back them.

Announcing the formation of an 11-member committee to talk to farmer leaders, Dahiya Khap president Jaipal Singh Dahiya said: “If the SKM holds a panchayat for unity and calls the panel for a mediation, we will go.”

At the same time, the khaps expressed concern over the health of Dallewal and urged the Centre to hold talks with him. Jaipal Singh said: “If the government doesn’t talk to him, a mahapanchayat will be held in Muzaffarnagar (Uttar Pradesh).”

Earlier this month, when the KMM and SKM (Non-Political) gave a call for “Dilli Chalo”, key farmer unions of Haryana had stayed away, saying they had not been consulted. The farmer bodies in the state have so far held only symbolic protests in the support of Punjab agitators.

On the Opposition’s call that the Centre hold talks with the agitating farmers, the Nayab Singh Saini-led BJP government in Haryana has pointed out that the state has already announced that it will procure 24 crops at MSP.

Admitting a lack of enthusiasm, sources within the farmer unions said a certain disillusionment has set in given that the year-long 2020-21 protest led to limited outcomes.

“Our demand for repealing the farm laws was met, but the associated ones such as MSP as a legal guarantee, implementation of the Swaminathan commission’s report and many other demands remained on paper. There would have been no need for farmer agitation 2.0 had we got those demands implemented that time itself,” said a farmer union leader.