AAP trying to sabotage talks between Centre, farmers: Bittu

Punjab Police cleared protest sites at Shambhu and Khanauri borders on Wednesday, removing barricades, vehicles, and temporary structures that had blocked the highways for over a year.The police action follows amid growing concerns from Punjab’s industrialists about the financial losses caused by the prolonged closure of highways.The police's action came after several farmer leaders, including Sarwan Singh Pandher and Jagjit Singh Dallewal, were detained in Mohali while returning from a meeting with a central delegation.
Police initially detained more than 200 farmers, who clashed with them, while they were heading to the Khanauri and Shambhu border points, where the protesting farmers have been camping since February 13 last year. The protesting farmers - led by Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha - have been camping at the Shambhu (Shambhu-Ambala) and Khanauri (Sangrur-Jind) borders between Punjab and Haryana since February 13 last year when their march to Delhi was thwarted by security forces to press their demands, including a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops.

#WATCH | Punjab Police demolished the tents erected by farmers at the Punjab-Haryana Shambhu Border, where they were sitting on a protest over various demands.

The farmers are also being removed from the Punjab-Haryana Shambhu Border. pic.twitter.com/TzRZKEjvXD

— ANI (@ANI) March 19, 2025

Punjab finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema defended the eviction of farmers from the protest sites, saying that the prolonged closure of the two highways had severely impacted industries and businesses. He added that the highways, which are vital for the state’s economy, had been blocked for over a year, affecting trade and employment.Senior BJP leader from Punjab and party's national executive committee member Harjit Singh Grewal praised Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann after Punjab Police removed the agitating farmers from the Shambhu and Khanauri borders.
Opposition parties condemned the detention of several farmer leaders including Sarwan Singh Pandher and Jagjit Singh Dallewal, calling it a "cowardly act" of the AAP-led Punjab government. Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa said it has never happened in the history of Punjab that the government "arrested" the leaders after calling them on the pretext of a meeting. It is not even the tradition of Punjab, the leader of opposition in the Punjab Assembly said in a statement in Chandigarh. BJP leader and Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu alleged that the AAP government in Punjab was trying to "sabotage" talks between the Centre and farmers.
In a statement, Bittu said that he was shocked to hear the news of Punjab Police action against farmer leaders. "The central government is serious about the farmer's issues and the sudden action of the Punjab government is aimed at sabotaging the talks. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has betrayed the farmers. Arvind Kejriwal who is camping in Punjab for the last three days has hatched a conspiracy against farmers."
Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal and his wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal too condemned the police action against farmer leaders and demanded their release. The BJP government at the Centre and the AAP government of Punjab together have "betrayed" the farmers by calling them for talks on MSP guarantee and then "fraudulently arresting" them, senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said. He said the 62 crore farmers of the country will never forgive this "conspiratorial betrayal".