Daijiworld Media Network – Chandigarh
Chandigarh, Nov 26: As the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) gears up for a massive statewide protest at Chandigarh’s Sector 43 ground on Wednesday marking five years of its agitation against the now-repealed farm laws, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab is simultaneously battling unrest across multiple districts. From farmers and engineers to lawyers and residents, a wave of protests since November 15 has put the ruling party under intense scrutiny.
Tensions first flared in Ferozepur on November 15 after the murder of RSS volunteer Naveen Arora. When AAP MLA Ranbir Singh Bhullar visited the bereaved family, irate locals confronted him, questioning his presence and demanding action to solve the case. Bhullar stood silently with folded hands as tempers rose. Though three people have been arrested, the key shooters remain untraced.
Three days later, Ferozepur Rural MLA Rajnish Kumar Dahiya faced villagers’ ire during a park inauguration in Suliana. Accusations of delays in development works escalated into brief stone pelting, signalling swelling anger. Villagers recalled how, during the 2022 campaign, AAP leaders encouraged symbolic stone pelting to express public frustration—remarks that have now returned to haunt them.
In Jhok Hari Har village, residents staged a three-day dharna from November 17–19 over the poor condition of the Ferozepur–Muktsar road. Leaders from BJP, SAD and Congress visited the site, while the local AAP MLA arrived only on the third day and apologised before initiating repairs. A similar road protest erupted in Mamdot, later resolved by the administration.
A fresh controversy followed on November 20 in Kharar when AAP MLA Dr Charanjit Singh, addressing protests against the proposed merger of 35 Mohali villages with Rupnagar district, remarked that “a 10th pass person” questioning him was unacceptable. The statement triggered immediate outrage among lawyers and residents, forcing the MLA to apologise publicly. The video has since gone viral and continues to fuel dissent in farmer and employee protests.
On November 22, Sangrur’s District Bar Association blocked the Ludhiana–Delhi National Highway for nearly four hours, accusing AAP MLA Narinder Kaur Bharaj of interfering in a private land dispute. Lawyers alleged high-handedness and have barred Bharaj from association functions, demanding a written apology. Bharaj has dismissed the allegations as politically motivated.
The AAP government suffered further embarrassment on November 19 when parts of tractor-trolleys—reported stolen earlier this year during the forcible removal of farmer protests at Shambhu and Khanauri—were recovered from the compound of an executive officer’s residence in Nabha. Farmer unions alleged the involvement of suspended AAP leader Pankaj Pappu, whose wife heads the Nabha Nagar Council. Both the Nabha and Ghanaur MLAs have denied accusations. AAP has suspended Pappu and his wife from party activities to contain the fallout.
Meanwhile, discontent is rising within the state’s power sector. The Punjab State Electricity Board Engineers Association (PSEBEA), protesting what it calls excessive political interference in PSPCL and PSTCL, has intensified its agitation following the suspension of a chief engineer and termination of a director earlier this month. Engineers will boycott official WhatsApp groups from Wednesday and plan a major protest in Patiala on December 2.
Simultaneously, government employees advocating for the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), contractual staff demanding regularisation, and various unions representing teachers and workers are set to continue their protests, adding to the mounting pressure on the AAP government.