Hoshiarpur/Ludhiana, Jun 2
Farmers affiliated with various organizations under the banner of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) staged protests across Punjab on Tuesday, demanding a rollback of fuel price hikes, a legal guarantee of the Minimum Support Price (MSP), restoration of farmer welfare measures, and action on several pending agricultural issues. Protesters submitted memorandums addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann at district administrative offices across the state.
Members of several SKM-affiliated organizations, including the Bharti Kisan Union (Lakhowal), gathered outside district administrative complexes and other government offices to press for their demands. During the demonstrations, farmers also raised slogans against the Centre and criticized what they described as inadequate attention to the concerns of the agricultural community.
In the memorandum submitted to the authorities, the farmers sought the withdrawal of a notification they alleged had deprived Punjab of its permanent representation on the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB). They also demanded the restoration of enhanced crop loan limits through cooperative societies, a reduction in the prices of diesel, petrol, and cooking gas, adequate availability of fertilizers, the withdrawal of the recent increase in urea prices, and the restoration of subsidy benefits.
The SKM reiterated its demand for a legal guarantee of MSP for all crops in line with the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission and the implementation of the C2 plus 50 percent pricing formula.
Among the other issues highlighted by the farmers were debt relief for cultivators and agricultural laborers, compensation for crop losses caused by floods, hailstorms, and unseasonal rainfall, and the withdrawal of the proposed Electricity Amendment Bill, 2025, and the Seed Bill, 2025.
The memorandum also called for the withdrawal of cases registered against farmers during the Delhi farmers’ agitation, the implementation of a farmer-friendly crop insurance scheme, the release of pending agricultural power connections, and the formulation of a sustainable agriculture policy for Punjab.
Farmers further demanded adequate compensation for land acquired for infrastructure projects, reopening of trade routes through the Attari-Wagah and Hussainiwala border crossings, and a monthly pension of Rs 10,000 for farmers, labourers and rural artisans above the age of 58 years.
In Ludhiana, supporters of different factions of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha held a demonstration outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office. Carrying SKM flags, protesters raised slogans against both the Central and Punjab governments and alleged that successive administrations have failed to take effective steps for the welfare of farmers.
Farmer leaders said the issues raised in the memorandum require immediate attention from both the Central and state governments. They maintained that meaningful policy interventions are necessary to address the economic challenges facing the farming community and ensure long-term agricultural sustainability in Punjab.
