AAP's Showdown with BJP: A Gherao on Paddy Lifting Delays

AAP's Punjab unit clashed with police during a protest against the BJP-led Centre over delays in paddy lifting. Allegations of step-motherly treatment and retaliation for past farmer protests were made. AAP leaders were briefly detained. Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu accused AAP of blaming the Centre for its inefficiencies.

Tensions escalated in Punjab as police confronted AAP's state leaders and their supporters during a protest against the BJP government's alleged delay in lifting paddy from the region. Water cannons were deployed to disperse the crowd when they attempted to breach police barricades.

Prominent AAP figures, including several Punjab ministers, claimed the Centre was neglecting urgent requests to address the backlog of paddy stocks. They accused the government of retaliating for previous farmer protests against repealed farm laws.

Contradicting AAP's claims, Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu suggested that the protest was a tactic to mask the party's administrative failings. Meanwhile, Punjab's rice millers have halted milling due to concerns over yield and demand for more storage space.

(With inputs from agencies.)