With just over 10 days left for Haryana Assembly polling day on October 5, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is continuing to face unexpected resistance in the State as many leaders and candidates encounter protests and opposition from farmers across various constituencies. These leaders are finding themselves at the receiving end of farmers’ anger over their demand on Minimum Support Price (MSP) guarantee legislation while touring Assembly Constituencies including Ambala, Uchana, Narnaund, Sirsa, Hisar, Jhajjar, Sonepat, Rohtak and others.
The BJP leaders attributed such protests to Opposition instigation, claiming they were “political gimmicks” aimed at scoring points. However, former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda countered and said, “It is a democracy. The protests are the result of their (BJP) non-performance.”
To woo the farmers ahead of the polling, the BJP has assured them in its manifesto that they will continue to get MSP on 24 crops which were announced just before the elections. The party has also promised that the leaseholders will get permanent land ownership. While in its poll manifesto, the Congress party says it will legalise the MSP, the BJP has shied away from announcing a legal guarantee on the MSP for crops.
Farmer groups in the State have once again expressed their opposition to the ruling BJP, even as farmer had recently conducted a series of mahapanchayats in Jind, Kurukshetra, Pipli and other districts to raise awareness about their issues and pending demands.
On Sunday evening during the election campaign, Senior BJP leader and former Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij was forced to leave a public meeting in Ambala Cantonment after a group of farmers from the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Bhagat Singh faction) raised slogans over the death of farmer Shubhkaran Singh, who was shot dead in Khanauri in February during the farmers’ agitation. Sources said that the group of farmers reached near the venue and started raising slogans against Vij and the BJP. On the other hand, his supporters started raising slogans in his favour to counter the protesters. On the occasion, the police officials had a tough time in keeping the protesters away from the BJP leader.
Talking to reporters, the agitating farmers said that they have been protesting against the BJP leader as they were not allowed to go to Delhi to raise their demands. Talking to journalists, six-time MLA and BJP Ambala Cantonment candidate Vij said, “The people who were protesting were Congress workers. They are trying to disturb the peaceful election. In a democracy, people have the right to express themselves. We will not let them disturb the peaceful atmosphere in the country.”
In Adampur constituency, BJP candidate Bhavya Bishnoi and his father Kuldeep Bishnoi faced protests in Kutiawali village. The situation escalated into a scuffle between the villagers and supporters of the leaders, prompting police intervention. However, Kuldeep Bishnoi downplayed the incident, attributing it to Opposition instigation.
Similar protests were reported in other constituencies, including Naraingarh in Ambala, where local farmer organisations blocked BJP candidate Pawan Saini from entering the main area. The protesters waved black flags and shouted anti-BJP slogans forcing Saini to change his route.
In Badkhal constituency of Faridabad district, BJP candidate Dhanesh Adlakha was blocked by protesters and forced to take a U-turn while en route to Navada village. In Jind district, former BJP Minister Krishan Bedi found himself in a heated argument with villagers, who called him out for his silence during the 2020-21 farmers’ agitation. He is contesting from Narwana. In Hisar district, BJP’s candidate from Hansi constituency Vinod Bhayana lost his composure when confronted by protesting villagers. The protesters questioned him about the killing of Shubhkaran and accused him of being part of an “anti-farmer” party.
Senior JJP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala also faced a fierce backlash from protesters in Chhatar village, which falls under his constituency Uchana Kalan. An angry mob waved black flags at his convoy and then surrounded his vehicle, demanding answers for his decision to join forces with the BJP post 2019 assembly elections.
Haryana was a major centre of the 2020-21 farmers' protests against the now-scrapped farm laws. The protest was held under the banner of the Smayukt Kisan Morcha. The group later split and the Samyukt Kisan Morch (Non-Political) was formed. The SKM (NP), along with the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), is leading the ongoing protest at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana. Both these groups are opposed to the ruling BJP and their demands are similar.
A Hisar-based farmer leader said that in addition to Agniveer scheme, and a reduction in MGNREGS funds, issues like minimum support price (MSP), and implementing the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission are major factors in rural Haryana. “We will see the impact of farmers' protests in this assembly election. It was there in the Lok Sabha elections as well, he added.” Another farmer leader from Rohtak said that the violence and atrocities that were committed against farmers are fresh in the minds of people. They will teach the BJP a lesson in this election. “We are holding small public meetings, where we are also showing images and videos of the incidents," he said. He further said, “The demands of the farmers include ensuring legally guaranteed MSP based on C2+50 per cent formula with assured procurement for all crops, no privatisation of the power sector, among others.”
Talking to reporters, All India Kisan Sabha (Haryana) Secretary Sumit Singh, who is a member of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, said that farmers' issues will dominate the upcoming elections in rural areas. When asked if the votes may get divided, Singh said, "People will understand who is the strong candidate and they will support them. We are not campaigning for any party; we will tell people to pick the strongest candidate against the BJP."
Talking to reporters, Abhimanyu Kohar, a farmer leader from the SKM (NP), said that the impact of the farmers' protests was visible in the recent Lok Sabha polls as well, and the protests that have been happening have made people in the rural areas aware that they should vote on their issues. Kohar further said that the "atrocities" committed on the protesters have not been forgotten. "The violence and atrocities that were committed on farmers are fresh in the minds of people. They will teach the BJP a lesson in this election," he said.
In the recent Parliamentary Elections 2024, the BJP, which had won all 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana 2019, lost five to the Congress. This time, while the Congress is challenging the BJP, the Aam Aadmi Party has put its candidates on all the 90 seats. Also in fray are the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), which has joined hands with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and Jannayak Janata Party, which has an alliance with Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) among others.
