Police deployed water cannons on AAP leaders and supporters in Chandigarh on Wednesday as they attempted to march toward the state BJP office in protest over delayed paddy lifting in Punjab. During the confrontation, Minister Harjot Singh Bains was visibly shaken as his turban fell amid the forceful use of water cannons, intensifying tensions at the protest. Several ministers, including Bains, were present to highlight the growing paddy glut in grain markets, with the situation especially severe in areas like Bathinda.
The protest followed rice millers in Punjab halting operations and demanding the resolution of milling yield issues with hybrid paddy varieties, such as PR-126, which they argue could lead to major financial losses. Millers are also pressing for the evacuation of wheat and rice stocks from Punjab to create space for the new harvest.
Police had set up barricades around the BJP office, and as AAP workers attempted to breach them, officers responded with water cannons. In addition to the chaotic scenes, AAP leaders, including Minister Aman Arora, accused the BJP-led central government of “punishing” Punjab’s farmers for their opposition to the now-repealed farm laws. Arora alleged that the Centre was deliberately delaying paddy lifting, causing hardship for farmers and commission agents and failing to evacuate foodgrain stocks from the state’s crowded warehouses.
Earlier, an AAP delegation met with Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, urging him to appeal to the Centre to expedite the removal of rice stocks from state warehouses.
The protest underscores the mounting frustration among farmers and leaders who view the delays as a failure to address Punjab’s pressing agricultural challenges.
