Why Farmers Are On The Roads Again In Punjab And Chandigarh

Farmers Protest Punjab: Farmers are back on the roads in Punjab and Chandigarh over MSP, land pooling and river waters — here’s why, who’s involved, and what travellers should know.

North Desk Correspondent

Chandigarh, September 2

Punjab is seeing its farm unions return to the streets in force this week, with two separate farmer platforms — and, notably, a section of the employees’ movement — converging on protest action within days of each other. Here’s what’s driving it, who’s involved, and what it means if you’re travelling through Chandigarh or Punjab.

Farmers Protest Punjab: The Chandigarh-Mohali border protest

Farmers Protest Punjab: Hundreds of farmers under the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) banner arrived at the Chandigarh-Mohali border on Monday for what’s planned as a seven-day protest. Farmers began gathering near Jagatpura village from late Sunday evening, arriving on tractor-trailers loaded with folding beds, mattresses, dry rations and stoves — settling in for the duration rather than a one-day show of strength.

Gurdwaras in Mohali, including Gurdwara Singh Shaheedan in Sohana, have started sending langar to the site, and water tankers have been lined up along a 2-km stretch of road alongside hundreds of tractor-trailers. The protest has so far been male-dominated, with organisers saying women are expected to join from Wednesday.

What SKM is demanding

Farmers Protest Punjab: The list is wide-ranging, reflecting grievances that have built up over roughly two years, according to farmers who spoke to reporters at the site:

Rollback of the state government’s land pooling policy

A legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) from the Centre, based on the Swaminathan Commission’s formula

Fresh review of all river water-sharing agreements involving Punjab

Complete debt waiver for farmers

Protection of farm livelihoods in any Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) the Centre signs

Sugarcane price fixed at Rs 500 per quintal, with a “one counter, one payment” system at sugar mills and clearance of dues mills owe farmers

Repeal of Sections 78, 79 and 80 of the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966 — via a resolution farmer leaders want passed in a special Vidhan Sabha session and forwarded to Parliament

Farmers cited poor water availability during this paddy season as one of their biggest immediate hardships, arguing that a fuller share of river waters would have eased the problem.

A second, separate farmer platform is also mobilising

Farmers Protest Punjab: Running alongside SKM’s action, the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha Chapter Punjab — linked to Sarwan Singh Pandher’s Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, the group behind the earlier Shambhu-Khanauri border sit-in — has its own escalation plan already underway:

Village-level flexi banners since August 25, with slogans demanding the return of goods “looted” when the Shambhu-Khanauri morcha was cleared

One-day dharnas outside every Deputy Commissioner’s office across Punjab on August 31

Five-day morchas from September 14 targeting the home constituencies of specific ministers — including Harbhajan Singh ETO (Amritsar), Lal Chand Kataruchak (Gurdaspur/Pathankot), Kultar Singh Sandhwan (Faridkot), the Agriculture Minister (Bathinda) and Aman Arora (Sangrur)

A rail-blockade (rail roko) threat if the government doesn’t resolve the issues through talks

Their demands include compensation for losses during the Shambhu-Khanauri clearance operation, compensation and jobs for families of protesters who died during that agitation, withdrawal of stubble-burning, police and railway cases filed on farmers during past morchas, withdrawal of the land pooling policy, restoration of Punjab’s rights in the Bhakra Beas Management Board, and support for the August 15 call to gherao the Governor’s House over the release of Bandi Singhs.

Farmers and employees are now finding common cause

In a sign the discontent is spreading across sectors, farm leaders at the Chandigarh-Mohali site condemned what they called the state government’s action against employee leaders and extended support to the ongoing employees’ struggle over dearness allowance and pension demands. BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) has gone further, formally deciding to back government staff in their planned action on September 4. Farm leaders also mourned the death of labour leader Gurnam Singh Daud in a road accident.

This comes in a week that has already seen a bandh by roughly 7.5 lakh government employees and pensioners over DA arrears and pension demands, and follows the Qaumi Insaaf Morcha’s protest on August 21 over the release of Sikh prisoners — meaning the Mann government is facing pressure from multiple, largely uncoordinated directions within the space of about two weeks.

What travellers need to know

Chandigarh-Mohali border, near Jagatpura village: Expect a sustained presence for up to seven days, with tractor-trailers and water tankers occupying a roughly 2-km stretch of road. Plan for delays and detours in this corridor through the coming week.

What to watch next: September 4 (employees’ action, now backed by BKU Ekta-Ugrahan) and September 14 (five-day morchas at ministers’ constituencies, with a rail roko threatened if talks fail) are the two dates most likely to bring wider disruption, including a possible rail blockade.

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