Chandigarh, March 4 (NationPress) Just hours after negotiations between the Punjab government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, and farm unions associated with the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) collapsed, police initiated raids on Tuesday at the residences of several farmer leaders, including Joginder Singh Ugrahan.

Some individuals have been detained in anticipation of a weeklong protest by farmers, set to commence in Chandigarh on March 5.

The discussions regarding farmers’ demands broke down abruptly on Monday evening, with farmer leaders reporting that a “bellowing” Chief Minister Mann “stormed out of the meeting in frustration without cause.”

Post-meeting, the SKM leaders declared their intention to proceed with a significant sit-in protest in Chandigarh.

Joginder Singh Ughrahan, who leads the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Ughrahan), conveyed that the talks with the Chief Minister were progressing well. “After addressing eight or nine out of our 18 demands, Mann claimed he had an eye infection and needed to leave,” he informed the media. “The CM then inquired about our plans for the March 5 protest, to which we explained that discussions were incomplete, and we would decide on our protest strategy afterward,” Ughrahan noted, adding that the CM became irritated and departed the meeting, urging “us to protest.”

Following this, Chief Minister Mann stated his doors “are always open for discussions with farmers, but public inconvenience and harassment under the guise of protests should be minimized.”

During a meeting with farmers, the Chief Minister emphasized that the “government is committed to addressing issues affecting various community segments through dialogue, ensuring that disturbances to the public via railway or road blockades are avoided.”

He remarked that such actions create issues for the populace, resulting in public discontent towards the protesters, which ultimately fosters societal discord.

CM Mann expressed regret that the common citizen often suffers due to such protests, which he deemed unnecessary and uncalled for.

He acknowledged that while protesting is the democratic right of farmers, they should consider the significant losses being inflicted upon the state.

Traders and industrialists have lamented that their businesses are suffering due to ongoing road and railway blockades.

CM Mann appealed to farmers to reconsider tactics that sow discord within society. In contrast, farmer leader Balbir Singh Rajewal accused the Chief Minister of attempting to intimidate them during the meeting. In addition to the implementation of the agricultural policy, the demands of the BKU (Ugrahan) include land allocation for landless laborers and debt forgiveness for farmers and laborers.