CHANDIGARH: Farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher, released from jail today, accused both the BJP-led Union Government and the AAP-led Punjab Government of conspiring to undermine the ongoing farmers' protest 2.0. He likened the central government to invader Ahmad Shah Abdali and the Punjab government to Zakaria Khan, notorious for persecuting Sikhs.
Pandher, the convenor of Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, was released from Muktsar jail, while Abhimanyu Kohar, Kaka Kotra and some other farmer leaders were released from Patiala central jail.
Speaking to the media at the Bahadurgarh Commando Complex near Patiala, Pandher questioned the AAP government's stance, which had previously claimed that the farmers' protests were directed against the central government. He raised concerns over the events of March 19, when the government allegedly attacked farmers returning from a meeting with central and state ministers. Pandher asked whether Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann aimed to protect central ministers or if there was a fear of the Enforcement Directorate's actions.
He alleged that the Mann government conspired with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to target the farmers as both the government actively participated in demolishing the protest sites.
Pandher stated that the morchas will continue in any form, and the action plans, including protests in front of AAP MLAs' and ministers' residences on March 31, will proceed as scheduled. He further alleged that orders are now being dictated by corporate interests and Washington, who have historically been opposed to farmers, similar to the orders once issued by Abdali. Pandher also claimed that drugs are openly available in jails, asserting that the Yuth Nashaa Virodh scheme has failed.
Pandher condemned the state police's actions against protesting farmers at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points, where they had been camped for over a year demanding, among other things, a legal guarantee for the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of crops.
In a police crackdown on March 19, several farmer leaders were detained as they were returning from a meeting with a central delegation led by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Chandigarh.
The meeting aimed to address the farmers' demands, particularly a legal guarantee for the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of crops. As the farmers were leaving the meeting and entering Mohali, they encountered heavy barricading, and some of their leaders were detained. The police also evicted farmers and dismantled temporary structures at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points, leading to the resumption of vehicular traffic on the Shambhu-Ambala and Sangrur-Jind highways.
Farmers criticized the AAP government for detaining their leaders and removing protesters from the border points, where they had been camping since February 13 of last year, after their march to Delhi was blocked by Haryana Police. Meanwhile, the Punjab Government informed the Supreme Court today that farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal had ended his 123-day fast and accepted water.
