By Dr. Satyavan Saurabh
Whatever has happened in the national capital Delhi on 26 January under the guise of the peasant movement, cannot be justified. On the occasion of Republic Day, the farmers’ tractor march turned violent in protest against agricultural laws. There were clashes between farmers and police in many places. For the last two months, farmers gathered at the tractor rally on the Singhu border located on the Delhi-Haryana border, during which fierce clashes took place between the police and the farmers. The protesters broke barricading in many places and entered inside Delhi and forcibly vandalized it.
Farmers broke police barricades on Delhi’s borders. In many places, the police lathi-charged to scatter the farmers who were creating a ruckus. Tear gas shells were released in many places. During this, many clashes with the police also came to light. In the ITO of central Delhi, tear gas shells were released from the police to stop the protesting farmers. However, the protesters broke the barricade and attacked the policemen, and vandalized the police vehicles. However, due to the fierce demonstrations of the farmers, the peasant leaders have lost control. Significantly, farmers’ organizations have been demonstrating on the borders of Delhi and its surroundings for more than last month as a protest against the three new agricultural laws brought by the Central Government in September. These protesting farmers demand that the government should make MSP a part of the law along with the withdrawal of new agricultural laws. While the government says that through these laws, the agriculture sector will improve and new investment opportunities will be opened.
The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 allows farmers to sell their produce outside the agricultural produce market markets. Therefore, farmers have more options as to whom they want to sell. The Farmers Empowerment and Protection Agreement Bill on Price Assurance and Agricultural Services Bill, 2020 provides for the establishment of a framework for contract farming. Farmers and a buyer can make a deal before production. On seeing the objections of the farmers, they say that there was no consultation by the Central Government at the time of the promulgation of the Ordinances and later while advancing the Bills through Parliament. Global experience in agricultural markets shows that a guaranteed payment guarantee to farmers is the result of the exploitation of farmers in the hands of big business. This poses a threat to small and marginal farmers who form 86% of the total farmers.
According to Harish Damodaran Agricultural Economist, there is little logic to object to the Contract Farming Act which enables only contract farming. Such special agreements between companies and farmers are already operational in special processing grade crops like potato, tomato. Contract farming is voluntary. This provision is reformist. When it comes to APMC, farmers, for their part, do not want any restrictions on the movement, stocking, and export of their produce. In terms of marketing – particularly ending the monopoly of APMC – farmers, especially in Punjab and Haryana, are not very confident about the “choice of freedom” to sell to anyone and anywhere. The reason for this controversy is government procurement of paddy, wheat and growing pulses, cotton, groundnut, and mustard at the minimum support price. In this way, the three bills are entirely farmer-friendly.
But under the guise of farmers, this issue has become political. Which is the way to try to change the laws made by Parliament by taking such movement. Where will the dignity of Parliament be left then? Is there no importance of the majority of Parliament? Waving the Khalistani flag on the Red Fort on 26 January appeared to be a deep conspiracy to end India’s existence. Raising such a Khalistani flag at the peasant movement and the Red Fort is a challenge to the sovereignty of India. Today the black work of these Protesters has indeed come in front of the country. Today this movement became completely naked. The sympathy of the country for all these days was over. The whole country is thrashing them now. When all of us Indians were busy celebrating the national festival, these people of poor mentality were spreading violence and anarchy in the country’s capital.
The government has so far supported the whole matter peacefully. Our police personnel was injured for the country’s welfare, we salute them wholeheartedly. The foundation of the government has become stronger today and the whole country has seen that the agitator is not a farmer nor the bill brought by the present government is anti-farmer. The people sitting on the dharna are doing politics wisely. These are people who want to destabilize the country due to their poor mentality. The Supreme Court should now hear this case again. Strict action should be ordered against such people, who hurt our national unity and the Constitution, that too through planning. This is not a farmer movement, this is a terrorist attack on the sovereignty of India, the government should crush such attacks. On the other hand, the real farmer leaders should come forward and talk directly to the Government of India. The names of such poor people should come to the fore who are making their own disgusting game for the sake of their political purposes. They have to tell the truth that the toiling, true farmer of the country can never be Jayachand.
(Dr. Satyavan Saurabh is a research scholar, poet, independent journalist and columnist. The views expressed are personal opinion of the author. He can be reached at goonjtichaupal@gmail.com)
