Congress blocks Agra-Mumbai highway over farmers’ issues:Jitu Patwari warns of locking down CM House

The Congress on Thursday launched a statewide ‘chakka jam’ protest over farmers’ issues, blocking the Agra-Mumbai National Highway at seven locations across a nearly 580-km stretch from Khalghat to Morena in Madhya Pradesh. The protest triggered massive traffic snarls across several districts, leaving thousands of commuters stranded for hours. Scuffles and heated exchanges were reported between police and Congress workers at multiple locations as authorities tried to clear the roads. The blockade was organised at Rozwas Toll Plaza in Shajapur, Niravali Tiraha in Gwalior, the Indore bypass, Mhow, Morena, Shivpuri, Guna and other areas. Congress leaders claimed the agitation was aimed at highlighting the plight of farmers facing problems in wheat procurement, slot booking, delayed weighing and lack of MSP-related facilities. The BJP, however, dismissed the protest as “political drama” and accused the Congress of deliberately inconveniencing the public. Jitu Patwari warns of bigger agitation State Congress president Jitu Patwari said the party had announced a peaceful protest from 11 am to 3 pm and protesters vacated the roads once the scheduled time ended. He warned that if farmers’ demands were ignored, the agitation would soon reach the panchayat level. Patwari said Congress workers would now visit villages across the state, meet farmers and raise their issues directly among the public. He also warned that if the government still failed to respond, the Congress would gherao the Chief Minister’s residence and impose a symbolic lockout there. While speaking at Rozwas Toll Plaza, Patwari described the protest as only a “trailer” and warned of larger demonstrations in the future. He accused the government of suppressing farmers’ voices and said Congress would intensify its agitation if needed. Umang Singhar attacks BJP over farmers’ distress Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar launched a sharp attack on the BJP government after the blockade at Khalghat Toll Plaza ended. He said farmers were being forced to dump their crops on roads while the government remained “asleep like Kumbhakarna”. Singhar alleged that the BJP leadership was more focused on West Bengal politics and “eating jhalmuri” than addressing the problems of wheat and soybean farmers in Madhya Pradesh. “If the government keeps making farmers cry, farmers will also make the government cry,” he said, adding that the ruling party was ignoring the agrarian crisis despite mounting anger among cultivators. CM Mohan Yadav calls protest irresponsible Chief Minister Mohan Yadav criticised the blockade and called the timing irresponsible, pointing out that Class 10 and 12 examinations had begun on the same day. He said students travelling for exams were severely affected due to the road blockade and accused the Congress of failing to understand public hardship. “Children are being deprived of their examinations because of this protest. This curse will remain on the Congress,” he said. Police detain leaders, warnings issued at protest sites In Gwalior, Morena and several other districts, police detained Congress leaders and workers after they allegedly refused to clear the highways despite repeated warnings. In Gwalior, officials gave protesters two minutes to vacate National Highway-44, but police later used force to remove them and sent many leaders and workers to police stations in buses. Congress leader Rashmi Pawar accused police of assaulting protesters during the operation. Morena SP Dharmaraj Meena warned that strict action would be taken against anyone attempting to forcibly block roads. Additional SP Rupesh Kumar Dwivedi said police were continuously negotiating with protesters to restore movement and traffic diversion plans had been implemented to reduce inconvenience to commuters. In Bhind, Congress leader Rahul Bhadauria reportedly clashed with a police constable who was trying to help an elderly man move his vehicle through the blockade. Highways paralysed, ambulances and wedding processions stranded The protest caused severe disruption across several districts. In Indore, Congress workers blocked the bypass despite not receiving police permission, leading to a 1.5-km-long traffic jam shortly after the agitation began. Long queues of trucks, buses and private vehicles were seen on the highway. In Mhow, passengers travelling from Indore to Maharashtra said they had been stuck for nearly three hours. Travellers complained of being stranded in extreme heat, while some children travelling for cricket matches were forced to walk because buses stopped operating temporarily. At Pigdamber near Mhow, a wedding procession travelling from Khargone to Indore remained stuck in traffic for over an hour. In Guna, another wedding bus was trapped in the blockade, delaying mehendi and other ceremonies. A Nepalese family travelling to Indore for medical treatment also got stuck in Guna traffic. Govind Pokhare said his paralysed mother had an evening hospital appointment but reaching on time appeared difficult due to the jam. Truck drivers were also hit hard by the disruption. In Shivpuri, one truck driver was seen cooking food beneath his vehicle after remaining stranded for hours with goods loaded in the truck. Ambulances cleared, traffic diversion plans implemented In Indore, an ambulance carrying a patient got stuck in traffic before police and Congress workers jointly helped clear a passage. However, another ambulance in Mhow reportedly had to turn back after failing to get a route through the blockade. Police diverted traffic at several points, especially in Shivpuri and Khalghat, where heavy vehicles coming from Maharashtra were parked at roadside dhabas and checkpoints to prevent complete gridlock on the highway. Congress leaders accuse government of ignoring farmers Several Congress leaders joined the protest and accused the state government of failing farmers. Former minister Sajjan Singh Verma alleged that the government was not taking farmers’ issues seriously, forcing Congress workers to take to the streets. Congress MLA Satish Sikarwar said the blockade was aimed at ensuring the government fulfilled farmers’ key demands. Congress national secretary Satyanarayan Patel said farmers were not receiving timely weighing facilities, fertilisers, seeds or MSP benefits. Ashoknagar MLA Haribabu Rai alleged that farmers were being declared defaulters because procurement delays were preventing them from repaying cooperative loans. Former minister Lakhan Singh Baghel claimed the government would not accept the farmers’ demands willingly, while MLA Phool Singh Baraiya warned of larger protests in future if demands continued to be ignored. BJP counters Congress allegations BJP leaders rejected Congress allegations and defended the government’s procurement system. State BJP spokesperson Dhairyavardhan said nearly 50 lakh metric tonnes of wheat had already been procured and over ₹8,000 crore had been paid to more than 10 lakh farmers. He accused the Congress of spreading confusion over wheat procurement to create unrest in the state. Cabinet minister Govind Singh Rajput said around 48 lakh metric tonnes of wheat had already been purchased and over ₹8,500 crore disbursed to farmers. He alleged that Congress was doing politics in the name of farmers instead of helping them at procurement centres. BJP MLA Arun Bhimawad also criticised the blockade at Rozwas Toll Plaza and termed the protest “mere drama”. He claimed the BJP government was continuously working in farmers’ interests and said Congress should raise its concerns at mandis rather than blocking highways.