What sets apart these Farmers protest from the ones we witnessed almost three years ago?

What sets apart these Farmers protest from the ones we witnessed almost three years ago?

KAKALI DAS

We were all jolted awake by the scenes of nails, barbed wire, and concrete barricades obstructing the roads, preventing farmers from Punjab from entering the capital city. Upon reaching Haryana, they encountered tear gas not once, but twice.

We all had a sense of déjà vu. This scenario unfolded not long ago, as farmers converged on Delhi and set up camp at its borders for months, demanding the government repeal the farm laws, which it eventually did.

What sets this apart, and why is it occurring once more?

There are three main reasons for the differences. Firstly, the demands have shifted – while previously focused on the repeal of the three farm laws, this time the farmers also seek fulfilment of promises made regarding other demands, such as ensuring Minimum Support Price (MSP) for all farm products, including the calculation recommended by the M. S. Swaminathan committee report.

Coincidentally, the government has chosen to award Mr. Swaminathan with a Bharat Ratna to honour his contributions, yet his committee’s recommendations remain unimplemented.

Additionally, farmers are advocating for various other demands, including full farm loan waivers for all labourers and farmers, reverting changes made to the electricity act, enforcing the land acquisition act to grant farmers more say and consent in land acquisition, withdrawing from international free trade agreements, and a host of other demands, totalling to a list of 10.

At this juncture, the protests are being led by different leadership compared to the previous ones. Notably, Ashish Tikait was among the leaders then, but the current protests are under different organizational leadership.

This time around, a different set of organizations is spearheading the protests – the Kisan Majdoor Morcha (KMM) leading 250 farmer unions, and the non-political, Samyukt Kisan Morcha, with an additional 150 unions. This marks a departure from the leadership provided by the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) and the Samyukt Kisan Morcha during the previous protests.

The major distinction lies in the response of the central government. This time, the government appears less perturbed compared to the last protests, which coincided with the Uttar Pradesh elections, prompting significant efforts to manage the situation.

However, this time around, with upcoming elections not posing as significant a concern, the government seems relatively calmer. Especially considering that these protests primarily originate from Punjab, a state traditionally doesn’t vote for BJP, the government’s level of concern is notably lower.

The government is concerned about the possibility of the protests spreading to affect the Jat vote in Haryana. To address this concern, they have the Rashtriya Lok Dal led by Jayant Chaudhary, already in alliance with them. Additionally, the decision to confer the Bharat Ratna upon Chaudhary Charan Singh is seen as a strategic move to enhance their management of the Jat vote.

Secondly, this time the central government is engaging in negotiations from the outset. It’s noteworthy that two union ministers have already held two discussions on the matter.

Thirdly, authorities in Haryana were prepared with barricades, barbed wire, and nails, anticipating the arrival of the farmers. They are preventing them from reaching Delhi, sealing off the capital from all directions to avoid a repeat of the previous scenario.

Additionally, several farm leaders reported that their Twitter and other social media handles were blocked or taken down while they were in discussions with union ministers. This tactic aims to hinder their ability to rally support from villages, mirroring actions taken during the previous protests.

Furthermore, according to a report in The Indian Express, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), previously in alliance with the BJP but withdrew during the farmer protests, is reportedly in discussions to re-enter the alliance for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

The BJP appears confident that through the SAD, they can engage in dialogue with the farmers. Given that the SAD’s electoral performance suffered after leaving the alliance last time, it seems improbable that they will throw their political weight behind these farmer protests this time.

Hence, these protests stand out due to several factors: the expanded list of demands, the change in protest leadership, the localized nature primarily within Punjab, and the central government’s comparatively composed and prepared approach to managing the situation.

18-02-2024

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