Roads, trains blocked as farmers protest against anti-people policies in Punjab
Chandigarh: Farmers in Indian state of Punjab held a state-wide strike today to protest against the government’s anti-people policies, demanding a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Prices (MSP) and the full implementation of the MS Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the strike, led by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, brought road and rail transport to a standstill. Protestors blocked major roads, including the Dhareri Jattan Toll Plaza on the Patiala-Chandigarh National Highway, Amritsar’s Golden Gate, and Rampura Phul in Bhatinda. The farmers also obstructed railway tracks at 50 locations, affecting 232 trains. As a result, 174 trains, including the Shatabdi and Vande Bharat services, were cancelled.
The protesting farmers are demanding that the government provide a legal guarantee for MSP, which determines the price at which the government buys agricultural produce from farmers.
The farmers are also calling for the implementation of the MS Swaminathan Commission’s broader recommendations, pensions for farmers and farm laborers, a debt waiver for farmers, the reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, and justice for victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence. The protests reflect growing frustration over the government’s policies, which farmers said are harming their livelihoods.
