Punjab Police Detains Farmer Leaders After Meeting With Centre

Punjab is witnessing tense moments as farmer leaders were detained by the police after attending a crucial meeting with the central government. Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, accusing him of acting under AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal's instructions instead of standing with the farmers. "You only work on Kejriwal's signals," Bittu reportedly said, expressing anger over the way the farmers were treated.

The detentions, which took place at the Shambhu border, have sparked outrage. Farmers have been protesting for months, demanding a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) and other assurances for their livelihoods. While the BJP-led central government continues negotiations, the sudden police action against farmers returning from discussions has raised eyebrows.

Bittu, the only Union minister from Punjab in the Modi government, didn't hold back his words. He claimed that Mann was putting Punjab's farmers at risk just to hold onto power. "You put the entire Punjab and farmers at stake just to remain in power. Nothing will happen to Kejriwal, but the people of Punjab will not allow you to enter any village," he warned.

He also alleged that the AAP government didn't want the talks with the Centre to succeed. "Even Union ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Piyush Goyal were shocked to hear that action was being taken against farmers right after we had a positive discussion with them," Bittu said, condemning the detentions.

The opposition has also come down heavily on the Punjab government. Former CM Charanjit Singh Channi called this a "tragic time" for Punjab and suggested that there was a conspiracy at play. He pointed to a possible meeting between Bhagwant Mann and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, hinting that farmers were being deliberately targeted.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Sukhbir Singh Badal also slammed the Punjab government, reminding them of their earlier promises. "The Bhagwant Mann government, which claimed they would solve the MSP issue in five minutes, is not even ready to listen to the farmers today," he said. In a Facebook post, he strongly condemned what he called the "forcible abduction" of farmer leaders and demanded their immediate release.

Among those detained was Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who has been on an indefinite fast, and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha leader Sarvan Singh Pandher. Dallewal was later moved to Punjab Institute of Medical Sciences in Jalandhar for medical attention.

The situation remains tense as farmers, opposition leaders, and the public continue to demand answers and justice.