Farmers in Punjab issued a strong warning on Wednesday. They said they would launch a 2020-style protest if the Centre pushed the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2025. More than 5,000 members of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) attended the gathering.
They also called an SKM meeting for November 28. The unions plan to decide their final strategy there. Besides this, they demanded the rollback of the Seeds Bill, the four labour laws, and the National Education Policy, 2020. They argued that these policies would centralise control and weaken farmers.
BKU (Rajewal) chief Balbir Singh Rajewal urged farmers to stay ready. He told them to pack their clothes and food for an indefinite protest. He added that the new struggle would be even tougher.
Similarly, BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) president Joginder Singh Ugrahan said the Electricity Bill would shift power distribution to private companies. He added that smart chip meters were a sign of privatisation. He warned that the Seeds Bill would help multinational companies control agriculture.
Other leaders raised concerns about MSP, flood losses and pending cases. They said the government had failed to meet earlier promises.
The farmers also accepted a draft resolution. They demanded that the state protect university and PSEB land, scrap anti-labour laws, and keep agriculture out of free trade agreements. They also asked the Centre to announce Panjab University senate election dates and recognise Chandigarh as Punjab’s capital.
