Punjab again on tenterhooks, why Haryana farmers are missing from protests

Moreover, the proactive approach of the new Nayab Singh Saini government coupled with schemes like the Bhawantar Bharpayee Yojana, a price deficiency payment initiative, and the state government’s December 2024 decision to procure 24 crops at Minimum Support Price (MSP) are being seen as potential reasons for a chunk of farmers from the state staying away from the ongoing protest, being held under the aegis of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM).

While the move to procure 24 crops on MSP did not leave many farmer leaders impressed, it is seen to have sent out a message that the state government was making efforts on the MSP issue. A key demand of the protesters in the ongoing agitation is the legal guarantee of MSP.

Welcoming the Saini government’s MSP move, a farmer leader from Haryana, Suresh Koth, said, “The MSP demand can be fulfilled only by the Centre. But if other states follow the Haryana government, they can put pressure on the Central government to bring in a law to ensure legal guarantee on MSP.”

The 2020 agitation had seen farmers unite under the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) banner. The SKM (Non-Political) was floated by some organisations, mainly from Punjab, to distance themselves from farmer leaders who took the political plunge. Another reason for the Haryana farmers staying away are these different power centres now – the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) led by Gurnam Singh Charuni; those associated with the SKM; the SKM (Non-Political), which is led by Jagjit Singh Dallewal; and the KMM. It is the latter two which are behind the current agitation.

While BKU (Charuni) spokesperson Rakesh Bains urged the protesting farmer leaders to “respectfully invite” leaders from Haryana to join the protest, Koth said most farmer unions in Haryana are associated with the SKM and stayed away as the SKM leadership was not taken on board.

In the absence of adequate support from the farmers of Haryana, the police and paramilitary forces have succeeded in halting the farmers’ march to the capital and have restricted them to Shambhu and Khanauri on the Punjab-Haryana border.

Earlier, the use of police force against protesting farmers had not gone down well with the farming community of Haryana, which was seen as behind the BJP’s Lok Sabha tally in the state dipping to half.

Farm leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal during his indefinite at Khanori border. (Express Photo by Jasbir Malhi)

In the run-up to the Haryana Assembly polls too, several BJP leaders had faced farmers’ backlash and were prevented from entering many villages. However, ultimately, the consolidation of the non-Jat vote behind the BJP helped the party pull off a stunning win.

However, farmers from Haryana have not stayed away from the ongoing protests completely. The news of Dallewal’s deteriorating health has prompted several farmer bodies to stage protests and hold tractor marches in his support, while terming the demands of those agitating as genuine.

On January 4, farmer mahapanchayats were held at two places, in Tohana and on the Khanauri border, in which there were participants from both Punjab and Haryana. While the Tohana meeting in Haryana saw senior SKM leaders, including those from Punjab, address the gathering, the one at the Khanauri border was organised by the SKM (Non-Political).

The BKU (Shaheed Bhagat Singh), which has been actively participating in the ongoing agitation, has urged the farmers of Haryana to join it. “There may be ideological differences preventing organisations from taking part in the current agitations but a number of farmers from Haryana have joined them,” the organisation’s president, Amarjeet Singh Mohri, said. He added that on January 10, farmers from Haryana will register their anger by burning effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.