Author Hardeep Singh 

CHANDIGARH Farmers of Punjab are on warpath against Centre and State government as crisis of procurement and lifting of paddy crop has deepened in grain markets across the state and the governments have failed to resolve this issue. This crisis has added to the woes of farmers who are mostly Sikhs and are already facing existential crisis, owing to the anti-Sikh and anti-Punjab Policies of the Central government of India. As a result, a kind of unrest is being seen in Punjab. 

Harvesting season of Kharif crops is going in Punjab as the paddy crop has matured. However, they are left in lurch when they bring the produce to Mandis (grain market). There is no taker of their produce. Mandis are witnessing unprecedented mismanagement of the governments.  

The produce is not being procured. Some private traders are purchasing it but at much lower prices. The private traders are looting the growers. The farmers are not getting Minimum Support Price (MSP) set by the government. Secondly, tardy lifting of the crop has further worsened the situation. 

In such a situation, the frustrated and upset farmers of Punjab have been left no option other than hitting streets. They have been staging protests across the India-administered state for the last many days in different ways. Now, they have intensified the stir and started blocking the highways and laying siege to the railway tracks. All the Mandis are witnessing the dharnas (sit-ins) by farmers who are already facing multiple agrarian issues and in deep mess. 

A day after a ‘chakka jam’ by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) left thousands of commuters stranded, farmer unions associated with the SKM (Non-Political), which are sitting at Shambhu and Khanauri borders, on Saturday blocked national highways at different places in Punjab. 

While intensifying the stir in Phagwara, hundreds of farmers belonging to various farmers’ unions on Saturday continued their dharna on national highways near Sugar Mills chowk. In Gurdaspur district, they launched a protest at Sathiali bridge on Gurdaspur-Sri Hargobindpur national highway and blocked the road to protest on the issue of paddy procurement and tardy lifting in mandis of Punjab. The farmers, including women in large numbers, gathered at the bridge carrying flags. They shouted slogans against the Centre and state government alleging that the governments are all set to ruin the farmers of Punjab.  

Roads were also blocked on Sangrur-Barnala highway at Badrukhan village, near Sangrur.

On the other hand, the protest being spearheaded by farmers owing allegiance to Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) at Batala railway station on this issue continued and entered day 3.  “Until procurement and lifting issues are not resolved, the protest will not be lifted”, Hardeep Singh, district president of the KMSC. 

These protests are for indefinite periods. The commuters are suffering due to these protests but governments which are responsible for this worst situation, are not serious about finding solutions to the problems.  

This issue has turned out to be the biggest concern for the farmers these days and hitting headlines in India. 

Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) leader Sarwan Singh Pandher said, Centre does not reach any pact with rice millers who allege that they get only 67 kg rice per quintal of hybrid paddy varieties and the Punjab government does not put any pressure on the Centre. “Cuts of 10 kg per quintal are also being imposed on farmers”, he added.

Farmers of Punjab fought a big struggle in 2020-21 at the borders of Indian national capital New Delhi against three anti-farmers bills passed by the BJP government. Bowing to the pressure of the unprecedented struggle, Indian PM Narendra Modi had to revoke the bills. During this agitation, Indian security forces committed atrocities against the Sikh farmers and put them behind bars. Many Sikh farmers attained martyrdom while fighting against the Indian forces.