Highway Blockade: Protesting Farmers from Kurukshetra, Haryana, Disrupt Traffic to Delhi

Protesting farmers from Haryana have blocked a national highway leading to Delhi as they continue their demand for Minimum Support Price (MSP) for sunflower crops. Dissatisfied with the relief measures announced by the Chief Minister, the farmers made the decision to block traffic on National Highway 44 during a 'mahapanchayat' held in the Pipli village of Kurukshetra district. In order to avoid congestion, traffic has been diverted on the Delhi-Chandigarh route.

Farm leaders from neighboring states such as Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and others joined the 'MSP Dilao, Kisan Bachao' mahapanchayat at the Pipli grain market to support the cause and press for their demands.

The Chief Minister, Manohar Lal Khattar, recently released an interim relief amount of ₹29.13 crore digitally to 8,528 farmers for their sunflower crops under the Bhavantar Bharpai Yojana (BBY) - a price difference payment scheme. The state government had earlier included sunflower crop under BBY, wherein it provides fixed compensation to farmers for crops sold below MSP. As part of this scheme, the state government is offering interim support of ₹1,000 per quintal for sunflower crops sold below MSP.

However, the protesting farmers are demanding the state government to procure sunflower at an MSP of ₹6,400 per quintal.

Prominent figures like Olympian wrestler Bajrang Punia, who received support from the farmers during recent protests against a wrestling federation chief, and farmer leader Rakesh Tikait, who led the year-long farmers' agitation against the now-repealed farm laws, attended the mahapanchayat.

Previously, farmers led by Bharatiya Kisan Union (Charuni) chief Gurnam Singh Charuni had blocked the national highway near Shahabad for over six hours, demanding the government's procurement of sunflower seeds at MSP. The police used water cannons and resorted to lathi charges to disperse the protesters, leading to the subsequent arrest of nine BKU (Charuni) leaders, including its president, on various charges.

During the mahapanchayat, several farm leaders criticized the government for its alleged anti-farmer policies and police actions against their leaders. They further demanded the government's procurement of sunflower seeds at MSP and the release of protesters who were arrested in Shahabad.

Chief Minister Khattar, on his part, cautioned farmers against falling prey to those who try to mislead them and criticized certain farmer unions for allegedly playing politics. The protest by the farmers over the issue of MSP for sunflower crops continues to intensify.