The farmers are again on the battle path against the Narendra Modi Government as the centre did not fulfil its commitment given to the farmers leaders last year before withdrawal of the year long agitation.
The farmers’ demonstrations in and around Delhi on Monday unravelled the fact that it has the wisdom and strength to protect and revive the weakening democratic institution of the country and foil the attempt of Modi and RSS to mortgage the country and its people to their friends in industry.
In a daring revelation Meghalaya Governor Satya Pal Malik on Sunday, 21 August, said that the schemes for farmers have not seen the light of day due to business magnate Gautam Adani. Speaking at a programme at a cow shelter in Kira village in Haryana’s Nuh, he said “The MSP is not being implemented because the Prime Minister has a friend whose name is Adani, who at the moment has become Asia’s richest person in five years.” He nevertheless was empathic; “If MSP is not implemented and legal guarantee on MSP is not given, there will be another fight and this time it will be a fierce fight. You cannot defeat the farmer of this country. You cannot scare him… since you cannot send ED or Income-Tax officers, how will you scare the farmer? Farmers cannot be defeated and will continue to protest till their demands are met.”
Nearly a year back Malik had raised a controversy by saying, “When I met Prime Minister Modi on the farmers’ issue, I fought with him within 5 minutes. He was very arrogant. When I said that 500 farmers have died, he asked ‘Did they die for me? I said that yes, you are the king because of them. He told me to meet Amit Shah.”
When other senior political leaders are scared of opening their mouth and speaking the truth on the face of Modi, Meghalaya Governor deserves accolade and appreciation for his bold stand and revelations. His expose ought not to be taken in a casual manner. The govt machination to crash the farmers’ Satyagrah has no doubt severely hurt the agitation, but it is yet to finish the agitation. Modi is aware of the reality that in case the agitation is able to extract the minimum demands of the farmers, then it would initiate the process of renaissance
The Punjab assembly election had divided the farmers body Sanjukta Kisan Morcha, but it is a good sign that they have once again hit the streets of Delhi for realising their demands which PM is reluctant to concede. It is indeed encouraging to notice that thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh reached Delhi yesterday showing contempt to heavy security arrangements to participate in a ‘mahapanchayat’ called by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) at Jantar Mantar.
“The mahapanchayat is a one day-long peaceful event where we will reiterate our demands such as a legal guarantee on MSP and cancellation of Electricity Amendment Bill 2022 among others,” said Abhimanyu Singh Kohar, organiser of SKM (non-political) sponsored ‘mahapanchayat’. He said earlier during the farmers’ movement, the central government had promised to consider all our demands, but they did “nothing. So here we are again to discuss and raise our demands and chalk out future strategy of the movement”.
The farmers had suspended their movement in December last year after the Centre assured them to consider their other demands concerning legal guarantee on MSP, withdrawal of cases against them among others. For farmers leaders have been framed and arrested for attacking and lynching three associates of Ajay Mishra Teni’s son Ashis
The Morcha, the umbrella organisation of farmer unions, which had held successful yearlong agitation against three now-revoked farm laws, also organised three-day dharna in Lakhimpur Kheri town on Thursday seeking the four farmers’ release and the arrest of Teni, Union minister of state for home. Farmer leaders made it abundantly clear that they would further intensify their agitation and the dharna was a rehearsal for a bigger agitation near Delhi, on the same demands, against the “anti-farmer” BJP governments at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh.
Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) spokesperson Rakesh Tikait reiterated “Our brothers have been languishing in jail because they fought with some BJP workers in self-defence. The BJP governments are vindictive because the three-party members who died in Tikunia on October 3 were supporters of Teni. They (the arrested farmers) would have got bail by now if the government and the police were fair. We will soon announce plans for an intensified protest against the government.” The protesters from Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Tamil Nadu participating at the Dharna also demanded a law on minimum support price (MSP) for their crops and withdrawal of the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2022.
SKM leader Rakesh Tikait vowed that the SKM would continue its fight for justice to the farmers across the nation. He alleged that Modi is bent on handing over power supply to the private sector through the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2022. BKU and SKM would oppose this move as this would adversely affect the farming sector. It is significant that SKM has incorporated campaign against the Centre’s Agnipath armed forces recruitment scheme. This has caught the imagination of the rural youth in a large scale against the manipulative policies of the Modi government. Though youths had participated in the earlier phase of the agitation, this time their participation has been quite significant and large.
Notwithstanding the Modi government announcing the composition of the MSP committee only three days back, Modi has not inducted any representative of the farmer organisation in it. It primarily constitutes of the persons who practically do not possess the technical and practical knowhow of farming. Most of them are bureaucrats or organisations patronised by the RSS. The 28-member panel is headed by former agriculture secretary Sanjay Agrawal
Intriguingly the terms of reference make no mention of the farmers’ demand for an MSP guarantee law. The sources maintain that the Samyukta Kisan Morcha has been asked to send three members to the committee. With yet another SKM coming on the scenario, the Modi government is contemplating to have only one representation from the original SKM. Obviously the SKM will have no say.
Interestingly announcement has come just after the split within the SKM last week. However, representatives on both groups are unhappy with the announcement of the committee as it falls way short of their demand for a MSP guarantee law. SKM (Original) leaders say that they were apprehending this move. This was primarily the reason that they did not send names for inclusion in the committee. Some farmers leaders questioned the rationale of the formation of the committee as Modi as Gujarat chief minister had submitted a recommendation in writing to the UPA government in 2012, seeking an MSP guarantee law. The duplicity of the BJP regime continues unabated. (IPA Service)
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