What led the AAP govt to act against farmers?

Trigger appears to be discontent among biz community and waning support for farm groups among large chunks of population

- Navneet Sharma and Zia Haq

CHANDIGARH/NEW DELHI: The Punjab government's decision to dismantle the 13-month-long farm protests at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders on Wednesday night might have surprised many, but the grounds for the surprising move were laid weeks ago, said people aware of developments on Thursday.

Behind the administration's choice to reverse its earlier unwavering support for the protesting farmers was a matrix of four interconnected factors — the waning support of the farm groups among large chunks of the population, especially those in urban areas, the turmoil in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) after its Delhi polls loss, the Punjab administration's bid to undo the impression of a governance paralysis, and internal fractures within the farmers' movement.

The trigger for the decision appeared to be widespread discontent among industrialists and the business community that was conveyed in informal settings to party chief Arvind Kejriwal. And forming the backdrop was the upcoming Ludhiana West assembly bypoll and the outsized importance of Punjab and the upcoming 2027 assembly polls to the AAP, which once nurtured ambitions of expanding nationally but is now left with only one province.

"The clearing of roads has been well-received by every segment in urban and semi-urban areas, especially those who have to travel for work. In rural areas also, there has not been much adverse reaction because most people felt that such a prolonged stir was not needed. All these factors were considered before taking action as we have just two years left now," said a state cabinet minister.

"These frequent protests have been a big hindrance. We should have done this earlier," the minister added, requesting anonymity.