SATINDER BAINS
CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann though has claimed a moral victory in its war against Bhakra Beas Management Board(BBMB) over supply of additional water to neighbouring Haryana in the light of Punjab and Haryana High Court recent orders, the protest by AAP leaders at Nangal Dam lacked popular support, particularly the farming community, the main stake holders in river water's issue.
The Chief Minister and Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains had flocked Nangal Dam and held dharna outside BBMB control room and prevented the BBMB Chairman and his staff from releasing the water from Satlej river to Haryana on May 8. It was a show of strength by AAP workers of Anandpur Sahib constituency and incident made the headlines in media. The opposition parties in deed extended support to Mann government due to political compulsions, looking at the sensitivity of the issue.
Finding no support from farmer's bodies like Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan), Samyukt Kisan Morcha and SKM(non-political and other main factions like BKU(Rajewal), Kisan Mazdoor Ekta. These are the farmer organisations which led several agitations against injustice done to Punjab by the center not only on matter of distribution of water but other issues like grant of MSP on all crops. None of these organisations came forward to supplement the attempts by Mann to blow the issue out of proportion and make a political capital out of it.
Irked over no response from the farmers and other sections on the water's issue, Mann on May 11 while addressing AAP workers at Nangal Dam said “We are trying to save water for farmers. Now where are farmers’ unions? They have not issued a single statement in support of Punjab’s waters. We will fight alone.” He said that they only want to hold ‘dharnas’ and stop highways. “Come here. We are here. We are saving water for agricultural fields, ” said Mann.
The silence of farmer unions is attributed to forceful removal of farmer dharna at Shambhu and Khanauri borders on the orders of Bhagwant Mann. He is at loggerheads with the farmers on the issue of holding dharnas on every issue and warned against any protest on roads. Farmer leaders had questioned Mann for himself holding dharna at Nangal Dam. The farmer leaders accused Mann of curtailing their fundamental right of protest. BKU leader Joginder Singh Ugrahan reminded the CM that AAP started its journey with dharnas and gave a false hope to farmers of Punjab to sort out their woes. He said that Mann had lost trust of the farmer community.
It is now interesting to see if AAP regains its credibility among the farmer community, to be precise in rural Punjab by riding on the river water's issue at a time when AAP government is facing high anti-incumbency in the border state. The people are irked over the interference by Delhi's AAP leadership in day to day affairs of Punjab Government, making the ride of Mann more tough.