MHA officials say Punjab government could have prevented protesters from assembling in such large numbers and bringing heavy machinery.
With each passing day, the ongoing farmers’ agitation and the deadlock in talks between protesters and Central government representatives are being blamed on the AAP-led Punjab government’s inability to take stringent action against protesters who are indulging in disruptive activities.
The Punjab government could have prevented protesters from assembling in such large numbers and bringing heavy machinery and JCBs to Shambhu and Khanauri borders with Haryana purportedly to break the concrete barriers and march towards Delhi, said officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
The MHA, in an advisory to the Punjab government, has expressed concern on why the latter had “freely allowed miscreants or law breakers” to indulge in “stone pelting.” The Punjab government, however, denied that it allowed miscreants to break law and claimed it was “responsibly” handing the agitation and also advocated showing sympathy towards the farmers.
As per reports of security agencies, 20,000 farmers have gathered at Shambu border and 9,500 farmers have reached Khanauri border with over 15,000 tractor trolleys and heavy machinery like JCBs and earthmovers.
The MHA suspects complicity of the Punjab government in not intercepting the farmers before they reached the Haryana border. Meanwhile, Haryana Police have asked owners of excavators to withdraw their machines from the protest site, where farmers are set to resume their march, else they will be held liable for action.
The deteriorating law and order situation and increasing injuries among the protesters and law enforcers on the Haryana border pose a challenge for the Haryana government. Political observers say any mishandling of the situation may also impact the Narendra Modi government’s image as the farmers’ protest comes barely weeks before the Lok Sabha elections. Any further escalation will give a handle to the opposition parties to slam the government during the campaign.
Farmers form an influential slice in the voters’ pie and the Central government or the Punjab or the Haryana government would not want to antagonise them. This also explains the reasons why the Punjab government is avoiding taking harsh measures to stop the farmers from assembling near the border with Haryana.
Amid allegations of the Punjab government’s complicity in the farmers protest, political temperatures in the agrarian state have also started rising. Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jhakar has accused the Bhagwant Mann government of stoking the protest and for the failure of talks with the farmers.
“With Bhagwant Mann himself, of all people, acting as the lawyer for the farmers, these negotiations were destined to fail—because CM Mann had everything to gain from the failure of these talks. Not only would he now be able to show the central government in bad light but also redirect those farmers also to Delhi who had initially wanted to march to Chandigarh. And sure enough, he has succeeded in this mission by jeopardising the sincere efforts of both the farmers and the central ministerial team to arrive at a solution,” Jakhar said in a post on X.
The farmers are agitating for seeking legal guarantees for higher crop prices, relaxation of stringent environmental regulations. The protest is being led by the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha and Sanyukta Kisan Morcha. Several rounds of discussions have taken place between the Central government and protesting farmers but a solution is yet to emerge.