Farmers protest against AAP govt in Ambala; NH commuters relieved

Angered by the Punjab Government’s recent crackdown on agitating farmers, groups under the banner of Bhartiya Kisan Union (Shaheed Bhagat Singh) staged protests against Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann in Ambala on Friday.

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Following a call for protest by farmer unions, demonstrators gathered in Ambala City and Naraingarh, raising slogans against the AAP government and burning effigies of CM Bhagwant Mann.

BKU (SBS) leader Manjeet Singh criticised the Punjab Government’s actions, stating, “The AAP government in Punjab has betrayed the farmers. Our leaders were arrested after a meeting with the ministers, and the protesting farmers at Shambhu and Khanauri borders were forcefully evicted. While the Central government ministers claimed they were serious about addressing farmers’ demands, such actions by the AAP government are unacceptable. We fail to understand the reasons behind using force against farmers.”

He further argued that the farmers were making legitimate demands. “The Punjab Government claimed that the state was suffering losses and the public was facing inconvenience. But the government knew that it was the Haryana Government that blocked the road, not the farmers. The farmers were heading towards Delhi when they were stopped, and the Punjab Government should have intervened to get the border opened,” he added.

The farmer leader also alleged that after the Punjab Police cleared the protest site, farmers’ belongings were stolen from the dharna spot. He asserted that protests would continue in a peaceful manner until their demands were met.

Meanwhile, the reopening of the Haryana-Punjab interstate border at Shambhu on Thursday evening brought much-needed relief to commuters, as the route had been closed since February last year.

Rajneesh Kumar, a commuter at the Shambhu toll plaza, expressed his frustration over the prolonged closure. “Due to the blockade, commuters faced a lot of inconvenience as they had to take alternative routes. We were forced to burn extra fuel, and our travel time increased significantly.”

Ajay Kumar, a commercial vehicle driver, echoed similar concerns. “We regularly transport goods between Ambala and Punjab, but the road closure forced us to take village routes. This meant extra kilometres, fuel expenses, and damage to our vehicles due to poor road conditions. The government should ensure that national highways remain open at all times.”