On September 13, hundreds of employees under the banner of the Sanjha Mulazam and Pensioners Front reached the residence of Cabinet Minister and AAP Punjab president Aman Arora in Sunam. Unlike the usual police arrangements around protests, Arora directed officials not to put up barricades or use water cannons.
“They are all my brothers. There should be no barricading and no water cannons. I will sit with them myself, talk to them and try to resolve the issue,” Arora told officials before personally reaching out to the protesters.
He subsequently listened to the employees’ grievances, following which a delegation went inside his residence for a detailed discussion. The employees later called off their protest.
The episode was markedly different from Arora’s stand just days earlier. On September 8, when government employees were protesting over restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), withdrawal of the June 17, 2020, notification and other demands, Arora had issued a strong “no work, no pay” warning.
Restoration of the OPS has been a long-standing demand of government employees in Punjab. Employee unions have also sought withdrawal of the 2020 notification and payment of pending dearness allowance (DA) arrears.
A similar softening was witnessed on September 12 outside the residence of Jai Krishan Singh Rouri, AAP MLA from Garhshankar and Deputy Speaker of the Punjab Assembly.
Jai Krishan Singh Rouri, Deputy Speaker Vidhan Sabha, addressed employees union members outside his house in Garhshankar on Saturday. (Express photo)
Initially, police officials were reluctant to allow protesting employees to put up a tent outside his residence. The restrictions were subsequently eased, and Rouri himself came out and sat with the protesters.
“If you need water, tea or anything, my doors are open and my team will assist you. You are my own people and I am here to listen to your grievances,” Rouri told the employees.
He also addressed them from their protest stage and assured them that he would raise their demands with the concerned authorities and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
Protesters ‘unrelenting’
The protesting employees, however, were not particularly easy on either of the two AAP leaders. They questioned Arora and Rouri about their stand on employees when the party was in Opposition and contrasted it with their present position.
Jasvir Singh Talwara, convener of the Purani Pension Bahali Sanjha Platform, said he was particularly struck by Rouri’s conduct.
“We were surprised at his cool and calm behaviour. At one point, his aide asked our union leader Satish Rana to wind up early, but Rouri intervened and told Rana that he could speak for as long as he wanted because he was there to listen to every demand of the employees,” Talwara said.
The softer approach has not been confined to employee protests.
On September 12, members of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) Ugrahan held a protest outside the residence of Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian in Khuddian village of Muktsar district. Unlike previous instances, the protesters were allowed to reach the minister’s gate and stage a dharna there for nearly four hours.
“Khuddian was not in the village, but he spoke to us over the phone and said he would soon sit with us for a dialogue on our issues. No one detained us or used force when we marched towards his house,” said Shingara Singh Mann, Bathinda unit president of BKU Ugrahan.
Departure from earlier approach
The change is in contrast to the government’s handling of employee protests in recent months.
On August 7, employees organised a maha hartal and a major rally at the Sector 39 grain market in Chandigarh. Another strike followed on August 27, after which employees were issued show-cause notices for allegedly taking unauthorised leave. The notices were part of the government’s effort to enforce attendance and maintain essential administrative functioning amid the agitation.
On August 27, a proposed meeting between Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and employee representatives was also cancelled at the last minute. The government maintained that a strike and negotiations could not take place simultaneously.
The government now appears to be choosing dialogue.
“It is not surprising that AAP ministers have suddenly become more polite. I am reminded of Rahat Indori’s line, ‘Shehar mein chunav hain’ (there are elections in the city). Polls are approaching and the AAP can sense the growing anti-incumbency. Otherwise, enough force has been used against government employees, pensioners, farmers and other protesting unions during the past four years,” Talwara said.
Union leaders see the change as an indication that the government has begun assessing the public mood.
Sukhwinder Singh Dhilwan, convenor of the Berozgar Sanjha Morcha, said, “Unemployed Sanjha Morcha has faced cane-charging and even house arrests several times in the past four years. If the government is trying to be polite now, it indicates that it has understood the mood of the masses.”
The recent approach also comes amid criticism of the AAP government over two controversial incidents in Sangrur district — the alleged custodial torture of Mohanjeet Singh of Sheron village and the death of Dalit agricultural labourer Gulzar Singh of Toor Banjara after he publicly questioned Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema over the availability of drugs.
Both incidents have added to criticism over the government’s handling of law and order and allegations of official high-handedness, particularly in Sangrur, the political base of several senior AAP leaders.
Some employee leaders believe these developments have increased political pressure on the ruling party.
“After the incident in Sheron village, people have started publicly questioning MLAs in several villages over development, drugs, law and order and other issues,” said an employee union leader.
The shift is also visible in the government’s engagement with the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM).
From September 1 to 7, SKM farmers were allowed to hold a dharna in Chandigarh’s Sector 48-C, even blocking one side of the Chandigarh-Mohali road. The protest was later withdrawn after Khuddian held talks with farmer leaders.
This stood in contrast to October 2024, when SKM leaders were stopped from proceeding towards Chandigarh during their agitation over delayed paddy lifting, with some leaders confined at Kisan Bhawan in Chandigarh. Similarly, in August 2023, organisations associated with the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) were stopped from proceeding towards Chandigarh over flood compensation and other demands. Several leaders were arrested and sent to jail at the time.
The difference is significant because protests by farmer organisations in and around Chandigarh have repeatedly become flashpoints between successive Punjab governments and unions, with access to the state capital itself often becoming a point of contention.
With the KMM holding protests outside AAP ministers’ residences from September 14 to 18, and employee organisations planning protests outside the remaining AAP ministers’ houses on September 19 and 20, the government’s new approach is likely to face its biggest test in the days ahead.
Whether the change marks a sustained shift towards negotiation or is a tactical response to mounting political pressure will become clearer as the protests continue and the government confronts more unions seeking to take their demands directly to the homes of its ministers and legislators.
Cabinet minister Aman Arora (in purple) with protesting employees outside his house in Sunam on Sunday. (Express photo) 
Jai Krishan Singh Rouri, Deputy Speaker Vidhan Sabha, addressed employees union members outside his house in Garhshankar on Saturday. (Express photo)
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