AAP and Akali Dal lend support to the agricultural protest as they eye the Lok Sabha elections

Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, a number of political parties have made a commitment to assist farmers, taking into account their potential voter base.

AAP said it supported farmers’ right to protest, despite a number of Haryana BJP ministers, acting on the party’s stance to not bow down to anyone, accusing the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab of inciting and supporting farmer organizations, which resulted in confrontations with the police at various locations.

The Punjab Police was questioned for failing to halt the massive farmer cavalcades in the state as the clash persisted at Shambu, Khanauri, and other Haryana entrance gates. A silent audience watched as hundreds of farmer-driven tractors assembled at several locations and made their way towards the Haryana border, watched by the Punjab Police.

According to AAP spokesman Malvinder Singh Kang, the party is in favor of all nonviolent, democratic forms of protest. The farmers’ requests are sincere. Following that, farmers withdrew their siege on the Delhi border in 2021, and the prime minister promised to satisfy their requests. The requests have not been met over the last two years.

Kang added that the Haryana government set up barricades and fired tear gas shells at the defenseless farmers rather than carrying on the promises given to them. This is how democracy is killed. He remarked, “Our Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann did his best to resolve the issue by mediating the discussions between the government and farmers.”

Even though the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has been attempting to form an alliance with the BJP for the Lok Sabha election, the party has backed the movement. The SAD had previously claimed to have a strong base among farmers. The SAD’s response was circumspect since it did not specifically blame the BJP for the circumstances.

The impasse between the government and farmer organizations deeply concerned the party leaders.

SAD has always fought for farmers’ rights and backed their demands, according to senior leaders Sukhbir Badal and Prem Singh Chandumajra.