The crackdown on protesting farmers at the Shambhu border in February is casting a shadow on the BJP’s poll campaign in Punjab. Party leaders and candidates are being shown black flags and stopped from entering villages, particularly in Malwa and Majha. These disruptions prompted state BJP chief Sunil Jakhar to lodge a complaint with the state’s Chief Electoral Officer last week, alleging that the AAP government had failed to ensure a level playing field for all candidates. The Punjab Police have claimed that they are taking steps to ensure the safety of the contestants, including those belonging to the BJP, but the latter is not convinced.

Farmers from the state had launched the Dilli Chalo agitation earlier this year, seeking a legal guarantee for the minimum support price (MSP). However, they were prevented from reaching the Capital by the authorities in BJP-ruled Haryana, which resorted to a heavy-handed approach. The MSP issue has remained unresolved despite a series of talks between the Centre and some farm unions.

The BJP has its task cut out in the state, where it is going solo after its efforts to mend fences with its old ally, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), proved futile. The SAD had parted ways with the NDA in 2021 amid the farmers’ agitation over the contentious farm laws enacted by the Centre. Even the repeal of the laws did not help the BJP win over the state’s farming community, as seen in January 2022, when protesters forced PM Modi to go back without addressing a poll rally in Ferozepur. With its nominees also facing the heat in parts of rural Haryana, the saffron party can’t afford to ignore the anger and anguish of the region’s farmers. At the same time, the alleged infringement of the candidates’ right to campaign needs to be probed and accountability fixed for the lapses.

(Tribune, India)