Tue Mar 04 18:37:23 UTC 2025: ## Punjab Congress Capitalizes on Mann Government’s Farmer Dispute

**Chandigarh, March 5, 2025** – The Punjab Congress is seizing on the escalating tensions between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government and farmers, leveraging the breakdown of talks and subsequent arrests of farmer leaders. Former Chief Minister Charanjeet Singh Channi today visited Gharaun police station in Chamkaur Sahib after learning of the detentions, aiming to meet with the arrested leaders ahead of a planned Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) protest in Chandigarh.

Channi criticized Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for ignoring farmers’ concerns, stating that the government’s actions against peaceful protestors are unacceptable. The SKM, which spearheaded the 2020 farmers’ protests against farm laws, is demanding the withdrawal of the Centre’s draft National Policy Framework on Agricultural Marketing, a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Prices (MSP), implementation of the state’s agriculture policy, and MSP procurement for six crops.

Yesterday’s talks between the government and farmer leaders collapsed after CM Mann abruptly ended the meeting. While Mann urged farmers to reconsider their protest, citing potential public inconvenience, he claimed his office remained open for dialogue. This move has drawn sharp criticism from the Congress.

Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring condemned the government’s handling of the situation, emphasizing the crucial role of farmers in the state’s economy. Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa went further, accusing Mann of turning Punjab into a “dictatorial state” and calling for his removal. Bajwa’s statement highlights the growing political fallout from the government’s handling of the farmers’ concerns. The planned week-long sit-in in Chandigarh is expected to proceed despite the arrests and the lack of an allocated protest site.

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