New Delhi, In the midst of forceful and ongoing protests, farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher has voiced stark criticism of the Haryana government’s approach towards handling the farmer demonstrations, likening the state’s current atmosphere to that of the conflict-ridden Kashmir Valley.

According to Kashmir Media Service, Pandher’s commentary emerges against the backdrop of escalating tensions at the borders of Punjab and Haryana, where authorities have erected road blockades and concrete walls, measures reminiscent of those employed in areas experiencing severe unrest. The general secretary of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, Pandher, condemned the government’s repressive tactics, highlighting instances of harassment by police, and the deployment of water cannons to quell the farmers’ protests.

Pandher pointed out the irony in media narratives that blame farmers for the blockades, arguing that it is, in fact, the state authorities who are impeding access to essential routes, thereby exacerbating the conflict. He relayed accounts of police personnel being dispatched to villages with the express purpose of intimidating the farming community.

The confrontation has been fueled by the farmers’ demands for a legal guarantee of Minimum Support Price (MSP), the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations, and accountability for the violence in Lakhimpur Kheri. Despite engaging in discussions with government representatives, including Ministers Arjun Munda and Piyush Goyal, the farmers have found the talks unfruitful, particularly rejecting the proposal to establish a committee to explore their concerns.

Drawing a parallel to the Kashmir Valley, an area beset by decades of conflict and heavy-handed security measures by the Indian government, Pandher’s comparison highlights the severity of the crackdown faced by farmers in Haryana. This analogy underscores the perceived militarization of the government’s response to civil dissent and the deepening crisis as negotiations remain stalled.

As the standoff continues, the farmers’ protests show no sign of diminishing, setting the stage for a prolonged conflict with the state authorities entrenched in their stance against the agricultural community’s demands.