Patti (Tarn Taran): Members of several agricultural unions staged a major demonstration in Punjab’s Tarn Taran district on Wednesday, shuttering operations at the Bhagupur toll plaza to protest against the central government’s proposed India-United States trade deal. Protesters gathered in large numbers at the plaza near Patti, raising slogans against the Centre and voicing deep apprehensions that the trade negotiations could severely impact the domestic agrarian economy, small traders, and rural labourers.
Led by Sohan Singh Sabra, Block Patti President of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan), along with senior office-bearers from participating farmer unions, the demonstrators forced toll collection to a halt for several hours. Union leaders addressing the gathering contended that opening up domestic agricultural and dairy markets to heavily subsidized foreign commodities would dismantle local livelihoods and exacerbate existing debt burdens among smallholders. They alleged that key stakeholders, including farming communities and daily-wage workers, were completely bypassed during trade consultations, mirroring past policy disputes over agricultural legislation.
The demonstration caused prolonged transit delays along the stretch as vehicles were either held up or diverted while farmers maintained their sit-in at the plaza barriers. Protesting leaders warned that Wednesday’s shutdown served as a preliminary warning to both central and state authorities. They emphasized that if the government fails to scrap the proposed trade agreement and resolve long-pending agricultural grievances—including statutory pricing guarantees and debt relief—farmer organizations across the region will launch an intensified, state-wide agitation in the coming days.
