Farmers Hold Protests in Phagwara and Kapurthala Over Rising Inflation, Demand Policy Reforms

PHAGWARA: Farmers’ organisations staged separate demonstrations in Phagwara and Kapurthala on Sunday, voicing concerns over rising inflation, increasing agricultural input costs and policies they claim have adversely affected Punjab’s farming community. The protests concluded peacefully, with authorities reporting no disruption to law and order.

In Phagwara, members of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Doaba), responding to a call by the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), assembled outside the office of the Additional Deputy Commissioner under the leadership of Kirpal Singh Mussapur, State Vice-President of BKU (Doaba). During the protest, speakers criticized both the BJP-led Central Government and the AAP-led Punjab Government, alleging that their policies had contributed to economic hardships faced by farmers and rural households.

Addressing the gathering, Kirpal Singh Mussapur said that escalating prices of urea, fertilizers, petrol and diesel had significantly increased the cost of cultivation, placing additional financial pressure on farmers. He further expressed dissatisfaction with the recent hike in the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for Kharif crops, describing it as inadequate to address the challenges confronting the agricultural sector.

Following the demonstration, the protesters marched from the ADC Office to Hargobind Nagar Chowk, where they burnt effigies symbolising the State and Central governments as a mark of protest. Several farmer leaders, including Gurpal Singh Pala, State Press Secretary of BKU (Doaba), Kulwinder Singh Kala, President of the Phagwara Circle, and Harbhajan Singh Bajwa, State Vice-President of BKU (Doaba), were present during the programme.

In a separate protest held in Kapurthala city, around 60 to 70 members of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC), led by District President Sarwan Singh Baupur, gathered at the Grain Market to protest against rising prices of essential commodities. Demonstrators raised slogans against the Union Government and demanded immediate measures to curb inflation and provide relief to the common people and farming community.

As part of the protest, participants burnt effigies representing the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister, alleging that soaring prices had increased the burden on households and farmers alike. The protesters urged the government to introduce effective measures to control inflation and safeguard the interests of agricultural workers and consumers.