The Punjab government has removed farmer protest sites at Shambhu and Khanauri borders after over a year, citing industrial losses and political considerations. The move comes ahead of the crucial Ludhiana bypoll and follows feedback from Ludhiana’s industrialists to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leadership.
Arvind Kejriwal, who is on a visit to Punjab, was in Ludhiana recently. Sources indicate that industrialists warned the AAP leadership that the ongoing farmer protests were causing economic losses and could cost the party votes in the upcoming bypoll. The protests had disrupted trade and truck movement for over a year.
The operation to clear the protest sites was pre-planned, with the Punjab government deploying water cannons and police forces two days in advance. However, the government avoided direct action against farmer leaders Sarwan Singh Pandher and Jagjit Singh Dallewal at the sites, fearing law-and-order issues.
An opportunity arose on Wednesday when both leaders traveled to Chandigarh for a meeting with Union ministers Piyush Goyal, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and Prahlad Joshi over their demands. The meeting ended without resolution, and as they left for Shambhu, Punjab Police detained them at the border before they could return. Simultaneously, police forces cleared the protest sites, detaining farmers and dismantling temporary structures using JCB machines. By late night, both sites were cleared after more than a year of occupation.
The Congress and BJP have criticized the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government, accusing it of betraying farmers. Speculation is also growing that AAP is desperate to win the Ludhiana bypoll, possibly to facilitate Arvind Kejriwal’s entry into the Rajya Sabha. However, the Punjab government has defended its decision, arguing that the protests were harming the state’s economy and that farmers should take their grievances to Delhi, as their demands are primarily directed at the central government.
