What led the AAP govt in Punjab to act against farmers?

Punjab government dismantles 13-month farm protests due to waning public support, business pressure, and internal farmer divisions, surprising many.

The Punjab government’s decision to dismantle the 13-month-long farm protests at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders on Wednesday night might have surprised many but the grounds for the surprising move were laid weeks ago, said people aware of developments on Thursday.

Farmers from Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee stage a protest as they were stopped while trying to approach the DC office to protest against the arrest of their farmer leaders from the Haryana—Punjab Shambhu border, in Amritsar on Thursday. (ANI)

Behind the administration’s choice to reverse its earlier unwavering support for the protesting farmers was a matrix of four interconnected factors – the waning support of the farm groups among large chunks of the population, especially those in urban