Cong workers block Agra-Mumbai Highway to protest 'neglect' of farmers; traffic disrupted

Thousands of passengers were stranded for hours as workers of the Opposition party staged demonstrations along a 700-km stretch of the highway spread across several districts, including Shajapur, Dhar, Indore, Gwalior, and Morena, and accused the ruling BJP of ignoring farmers problems.

Congress workers blocked the busy Agra-Mumbai Highway at multiple locations in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday as part of a protest to highlight farmer issues, leading to traffic disruptions and clashes with police at a few places. Thousands of passengers were stranded for hours as workers of the Opposition party staged demonstrations along a 700-km stretch of the highway spread across several districts, including Shajapur, Dhar, Indore, Gwalior, and Morena, and accused the ruling BJP of ignoring farmers' problems. The protest, 'chakka jam andolan (road blockade), was held at Rozwas toll plaza in Shajapur, Nirawali Tiraha in Gwalior and Indore bypass, among other locations. The Congress described the agitation as ''voice of farmers'', while the BJP termed it a ''political stunt''. State Congress president Jitu Patwari, leading the protest in Shajapur, said workers staged a peaceful sit-in from 11 am to 3 pm and vacated the road after the scheduled time ended. He claimed the agitation was held across a 700-km stretch of the highway. Patwari asserted the Congress would not back down and warned the party would gherao (protest by surrounding) the chief minister's residence in Bhopal and put a lock if the government failed to act on problems being faced by agriculturists. ''We were compelled to hold the protest in 45 degrees Celsius temperature for farmers as there was no other way. It was not for fun,'' the former minister remarked. ''We have already apologised to people,'' he said when asked about the protest causing traffic snarls and inconvenience to citizens. Patwari claimed enormous quantity of wheat was lying with farmers, but the government was not procuring the stock. Reacting to the agitation, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav blasted the Congress, asking what good it has done for farmers during its long rule in the state. ''With what face they are saying they are fighting for farmers. The Congress has done gross injustice to farmers,'' the CM alleged while talking to reporters in Bhopal. He claimed cultivators did not get diesel or electricity during earlier Congress governments and were also deprived of remunerative rates of their crops. The protest, held in the Pigdambar area in Indore, led to long queues of vehicles on both sides of the highway. National President of Adivasi Congress, Vikrant Bhuria, who led the protest in Pigdambar, told reporters that the state's economy depends on farmers, but they were not getting their rightful dues and justice under the BJP rule. Bhuria alleged massive loot in the state government's soybean 'Bhavantar Yojana' and claimed that 'mandis' (market yards) had become a hub for corporates. He accused the government of failing to ensure the minimum support price (MSP) for farmer produce and declared the agitation would continue in phases. ''In the end, if we have to grab someone's collar, we will do that, too,'' the Congress leader warned. After the blockade ended at Khalghat toll plaza in Dhar district, Leader of Opposition and Congress MLA Umang Singhar alleged farmers in the state were forced to throw their produce on roads for want of better price, but the government was simply inactive. He said, ''The chief minister should go to West Bengal if he only wants to do politics. What work does he have in Madhya Pradesh?'' Speaking in context of the just concluded assembly polls in West Bengal, where the BJP has emerged victorious, Singhar quipped that saffron party's workers and leaders were busy ''eating jhalmuri'' (a popular street food made of puffed rice and spices) while ignoring issues faced by wheat and soybean growers. Congress workers gathered at several locations from morning and staged demonstrations on the highway under the leadership of local party leaders, including Tarana MLA Mahesh Parmar at Rozwas toll plaza in Shajapur district. Police and Congress workers engaged in heated arguments during the protest over the removal of tractors from roads, and protesters raised slogans against the administration. In Morena, the blockade continued for around one hour despite an earlier announcement of a five-hour protest. Police later detained party leaders and workers and sent them to Gwalior before restoring traffic. In Gwalior, authorities asked protesting Congress leaders to clear the road within two minutes. Police later removed the protesters from the highway and took them to a police station. A clash took place in Bhind between Congress leader Rahul Bhadauria and a police constable. Morena Superintendent of Police Dharmaraj Meena was heard warning of action against those attempting to forcibly impose road blockade.