Punjab CM Mann walks out of meeting with farmer leaders, SKM to go ahead with March 5 protest

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann reportedly walked out of a meeting with Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) leaders today. The meeting, called by the Punjab Government, aimed to resolve issues with farmers’ unions affiliated with SKM and persuade them to cancel their scheduled protest on March 5.

However, SKM leaders alleged that the Chief Minister did not listen to their demands and instead asked them to call off the protest. “He didn’t listen to our complete list of demands and walked away,” said Joginder Singh Ugrahan, president of BKU Ekta Ugrahan. Another SKM leader, Balbir Singh Rajewal, stated that they had only listed eight of their 18 demands when the CM intervened and left the meeting.

The meeting started 30 minutes late, at 4.30 pm, and was over by 6.15 pm.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann explained that he had appealed to the farmer union leaders not to resort to road blockades and protests, citing the negative impact on the state’s interests. The SKM leaders, angered by the meeting outcome, have declared that their protest on March 5 will proceed as planned.