Punjab: SKM to hold 4-hr protest outside AAP MLAs residences on March 10

Ludhiana : The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) has announced a four-hour protest on March 10 — from 11am to 3pm — outside the residences of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs across Punjab.

The decision was taken during an emergency meeting of the SKM leaders at Issru Bhawan in Ludhiana on Thursday.

The move comes a day after the SKM, a conglomerate of more than 30 farmer bodies, suspended their march to Chandigarh as the Punjab Police thwarted the farmers’ attempt to reach the state capital for a week-long dharna. The farmers’ demands include purchase of six crops at minimum support price (MSP) by the state government.

The March 10 protest is in response to the arrest of farmer leaders and aims to counter Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s claim that the farmers’ demands are the responsibility of the central government, not the state government. The SKM argues that these issues are state-related and should be addressed by the Punjab government.

The SKM has scheduled a meeting in Chandigarh on March 15 to plan further actions. On March 7, farmer unions will hold district-level meetings across Punjab to prepare for the upcoming protest.

SKM leaders noted that previous protests in some areas of the state had been called off after the Punjab government agreed to release arrested farmers, one of their key demands.

During the meeting, BKU leader Harinder Singh Lakhowal criticised the Punjab government for blocking their peaceful march to Chandigarh, drawing a comparison to how the BJP-led central government had prevented their access to Delhi during earlier protests.

Lakhowal emphasised that the farmers only sought a peaceful sit-in at Sector 34 at Chandigarh to hold the Mann government accountable for unfulfilled promises made over a year ago.

SKM leaders have also challenged Mann to a public debate on March 15 regarding their demands. If the CM is unavailable, they are open to rescheduling, Lakhowal said.

The SKM leaders reminded the state government of commitments made over a year ago, including providing government jobs to the families of farmers who died during the protest by March 31, 2024. They also recalled that the government had agreed to organise village-level camps from January to April 2024 for resolving land disputes. Another promise was the waiver of electricity bills of motors installed along the Sirhind Feeder from January 1, 2023, onwards. Additionally, the state government had assured farmers that the issue of stray dogs and cattle would be addressed by March 31, 2024.

The farmers said these are all state-related issues, yet the CM continues to mislead the public by claiming they are under the jurisdiction of the central government.