CM Mann Challenged Farmer Union Leaders to Debate, They Accepted

On 29 May, Panjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann accused leaders of farm unions of making money through illegal means and using that wealth to acquire huge tracts of land, and shares in hospitals and hotels. He challenged farm union leaders to a debate on the agrarian crisis. Senior farm leaders Balbir Singh Rajewal and Joginder Singh Ugrahan have accepted Mann's challenge and asked him to fix the place, date and time for an open debate on agrarian issues. They said that they are eager to listen to him and raise issues. Other farm unions accused Mann of 'dancing to the tunes of the union government and corporates.' Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) secretary Shingara Singh Mann said, ‘If he has a problem with farmer organisations or their leaders, he should come out with facts, but should not try to show them in a bad light without proof and try to create a wedge between urban people and farmers. Such behavior clearly shows how arrogant he has become, and this arrogance will not last long.’ Earlier, on 11 May, while the Haryana-Panjab river water dispute was brimming, in a fiery statement from the protest site at Nangal Dam, Mann had lashed out at farmer organizations, accusing them of being silent on the ongoing water dispute and acting in self-interest. 'Not a single organization has issued a statement in support of Panjab’s water. This makes it clear—they are only interested in running their own shops.' At that time, Panjab Indian National Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring had fact-checked Mann that he had personally met the farmers when they had protested against the Dam Safety Act in May 2022. When it came to farmers, former Panjab chief ministers were always restrained, especially in showcasing their body language and words, in dealing with protesting farmers. In his initial days, Mann mirrored this attitude. During the initial part of the Farmers Protest 2.0 2024-25 on the borders of Panjab and Haryana, Mann's statements were mostly in favor of farmers.