As farmers block BJP in Haryana and Punjab, party meets poll officials, candidates say ‘reduced to begging’

The “Dilli Chalo” movement by farmers in February to seek a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) may have been cut short at the Shambhu border between Punjab and Haryana where protesters continue to camp, but its repercussions are being felt by BJP leaders in the two poll-bound states.

Furious farmers are preventing party candidates from entering villages in Punjab, where elections are scheduled for June 1 while similar incidents are also occurring in the rural parts of neighbouring Haryana.

After his party leaders were booed and greeted with black flags as they attempted to enter villages, especially in the Malwa and Majha belts of Punjab, state BJP chief Sunil Jakhar on May 6 lodged a complaint with Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) C Sibin alleging that the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government had failed to ensure the right to campaign.

On Thursday, a farmer delegation led by Balbir Singh Rajewal visited the CEO’s office to lodge a complaint about the alleged high-handedness of politicians and security forces towards farmers who are raising questions during the campaign. The CEO, in response, urged the farmers not to obstruct a candidate’s right to campaign and said, “Such actions go against the directions and guidelines of the Election Commission (EC).”

In Haryana, last week, angry farmers attempted to disrupt the rally of BJP’s Sonipat candidate Mohan Lal Badoli, prompting intervention by the police. Other BJP candidates like Ashok Tanwar (Sirsa), Ranjit Chautala (Hisar), Arvind Sharma (Rohtak), and former chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar (Karnal) routinely face black flags and slogans from farmers. Last month, an irritated Khattar remarked that the protests would only increase support for the