A blockade, the act of preventing the entry of goods or people to a place, is a frequent practice in the event of hostilities between countries. In a curious turn of events, there are now allegations that a state within the Indian Union is being blocked. The government of Punjab has alleged that the government of the Union has instituted a “railway blockade” against the state.
Punjab refers to the fact that Indian railways run by the Union government have prevented freight trains from entering the state since October 24. The first result of this is that Punjab is running out of coal to power its thermal power plants. the Grandstand reported that by November 3, Punjab had completely run out of coal reserves and the state had to buy power from the National Grid. As a result, the entire state is experiencing a large load reduction, with Punjab State Power Corporation Limited cutting power for three to five hours due to the severe coal crisis.
Along with coal, Punjab now faces a shortage of fertilizers, jute bags and raw materials for industry.
Farmers protest
How did such an alarming situation arise? The problem can be traced back to the agitation by farmers in Punjab against Union government farm laws passed in September that seek to further open up Indian agriculture to the free market. Fearing that this would mean a withdrawal from the Indian state of providing support, Punjabi farmers launched a general upheaval that, among other things, started railway rokos. Freight train services were severely affected for much of October due to this unrest, and it was not until October 21 that farmers’ unions announced the end of sit-ins on the train tracks.
However, Indian Railways alleged that some cases of freight trains stopped by farmers continued even then. “We cannot execute operations in these uncertain conditions and we want to make it clear that operations and planning must be done by us and not by anyone else,” Indian Railways said in a statement on October 27 as the shutdown continued. of freight trains entering the state.
On Friday, Union Minister of Railways Piyush Goyal reiterated this argument. “The railroads are interested in initiating services for the benefit of farmers, industry, MSMEs, the general public and the convenience of passengers,” Goyal said. “He called on the state government to clear the entire railway network from blockages so that we can run all trains, to and through Punjab, without interruption and safely.
It is not clear why the current turmoil in Punjab has led to an unprecedented failure in the operation of trains when such services have continued in the past even in the face of major unrest in other states. In fact, the farmers’ unions deny the Modi government’s accusation that the trains stopped or that public roads remain blocked.
Federal breakdown
However, what is clear is that this incident points to a serious case of federal rupture. A situation where Punjab and New Delhi blame each other because an entire state lacks essential goods is simply unacceptable for the functioning of the Indian Union.
To make matters worse, things don’t stop at Punjab essentials. As Ladakh supply lines run through the state, the Union territory is also experiencing a shortage of essential products such as fuel. This is doubly worrisome given that the region is now under a state of increased military tension with the Indian army in a clash with the Chinese.
Sensitive state
Great care must also be taken given that Punjab has had a troubled recent history with a militant secessionist movement that raised its head in the 1980s. A policy that pits the whole state against the Center is highly undesirable. Things are now dire enough for Punjab’s chief minister, Amrinder Singh, to point out that the current unrest could provide an opportunity for Pakistan to try to “persuade misguided youth from among the angry farming community to join their ranks. ranks in the prevailing circumstances. “
It is clear that no matter what the obstacles are, Punjab and New Delhi must fix them immediately and end the rail blockade.
.
