Tens of thousands of protesting farmers drove long lines of tractors into India’s capital on Tuesday, breaking through police barricades, defying tear gas and storming the historic Red Fort as the nation celebrated Republic Day. The protestors waved farm union and religious flags from the ramparts of the fort, where prime ministers annually hoist the national flag to mark the country’s independence. Thousands more farmers marched on foot or rode on horseback while shouting slogans against Modi. At some places, they were showered with flower petals by residents at some places on the route. According to the leaders of the farmers, more than 10,000 tractors joined the protest. Hundreds of news channels streamed live these scenes throughout the world. People watched in shock at the scope of the farmer protests, now seen as the biggest challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. The three bills introduced by the Modi government in the Parliament in the recent past were the “Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill-2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill-2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill-2020. The farmers opposed the government move and called the bills “corporate-friendly and anti-farmer.” The leaders of the farmers said that the bills will turn the agriculture in to a corporation, destroy their livelihood and will lead to cartelization in the agriculture sector. The bills faced strong protests mainly farmers from Punjab, Haryana and Western UP. The farmers have support from several opposition parties including Indian National Congress, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Bahujan Samaj Party), the Shiromani Akali Dal (member of ruling National Democratic Alliance and ally of Narendra Modi). About two months, farmers most of them Sikhs from Punjab, western Uttar Pradesh and Haryana states have camped at the outskirts the Indian capital. They protestors blocked the highways connecting the National Capital with the country’s north. The move has upset the Modi government. The Farmers are demanding the withdrawal of new agricultural laws from the country. The government held negotiations with the farmers to resolve the issue but still failed in its efforts. The 11th round of negotiations between 40 farm leaders of protesting farmers and Agriculture Minister of Narendra Modi’s government Mr. Narendra Singh Tomar ended up inconclusively.
The farmworker leaders stuck to their demand for rescinding new agricultural laws and rejected the government’s offer to suspend the laws for 18 months.
The Supreme Court of India intervened the issue and temporarily suspended the implementation of new farming laws amid huge protests appeared unlikely to end until government retrieve back the bills. The protesting farmers avowed the suspension by the top court as a politically motivated “trick” to ease the pressure on the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Supreme Court noted in its verdict that it is halting the market-friendly laws until a committee of experts, appointed by the court, could consult with both parties government and protesting farmers to find a solution to the issue. The organizing secretary of the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee, Avik Saha termed it, as an effort by the government to quell the farmers’ protests and not a sincere move to resolve the issues. He further said that keeping the laws in abeyance doesn’t achieve the purpose for which farmers are agitating.”
After failing the 11th round of talks with the government officials, the protesting farmers announced to march toward the Red Fort on Republic Day, 26 January 2021. Police barricades all the routes coming to the center of the Capital, used tear gas, sticks and water cannon to push the protestors back. However, thousands of protesters managed to reach the Red Fort, the ruling Palace of the Mughal Emperors and presently, the symbol of Indian hegemonic designs. Actually, the Indian farmers has genuine concerns and presently, the situation of the farmers in most of the developing economies are the same as India, where all financial benefit are being snatched by the third party/ commission agents or corporate firms, who buys raw commodities from the fields and farmers could not get the reward of their months long labour. The situation clearly depicts the Modi’s government will have to knee down in front of the Farmers protestors to settle down the issue.
