Hundreds of tractors and trucks dot the roads of Punjab and Haryana. fuel and foods enough for several weeks on top of those tractors and trucks.
Meanwhile, all arrangements have been made to prevent farmers from entering New Delhi. The capital has been turned into a fortress with several layers of security being beefed up.
Several key entrances to the capital have been blocked off with barbed wire fences, concrete barricades and nail pits. Hundreds of policemen have been deployed on the outskirts of New Delhi.
Various state governments have taken repressive measures to suppress the movement. The Haryana government has constructed temporary jails in two major stadiums. If any untoward situation arises while the farmers are proceeding with the procession, they will be detained and kept there.
Besides, Section 144 has been issued in the capital. The authorities have banned gatherings. The whole thing is reminiscent of the 16 month long farmers' agitation two years ago. But naturally, many people ask, why are the farmers of India on the streets once again after two years?
Why are Indian farmers on protests again?
We have to go back a few years to find the answer to why Indian farmers are back on the streets. During the Coronavirus pandemics in 2020, the BJP-led central government issued ordinances for the formulation of three agricultural laws. In September of that year, in the part-time session of the Parliament, the proposed three acts were passed almost without discussion, ignoring the demands of the opposition.
The first Act was the 'Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act'. The second is the 'Agricultural Commodities Transactions and Trade Development Act'. And the third is the 'Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Prices and Farm Services Act'.
The BJP government claimed that the Agriculture Acts were being implemented to fulfill three objectives. Firstly, increasing the income of farmers by reducing the dominance of fariyas or brokers in the agricultural sector.
Secondly, to legislate the system of contract farming in the states and thirdly, to do away with the existing laws on the marketing of agricultural produce and to open the way for free trade in inter-state agricultural produce.
Through the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, private organizations are given the right to buy, store and sell agricultural produce directly from farmers. But the farmers' organizations called for a movement against those three agricultural laws. Common farmers responded massively to that movement. Opposition parties like Congress also supported it.
The agitating farmers and opponents said that this law is actually the beginning of lifting the government support price. The government wants to remove the responsibility of buying the agricultural products produced by the farmers.
It is feared that the government will not give the amount of support given to the farmers by private companies or traders. Moreover, since the government has not put any upper limit on the stock of essential products such as rice, dal, wheat, edible oil, oilseeds etc., the power to control the price of essential products will go to the hands of big businessmen.
Farmers organizations also said that artificial crisis will be created through hoarding. Agricultural products will be exported without looking at the interests of the people of the country.
Farmers will not get fair price for their crops. Commercial companies will deprive the farmers and if the big commercial companies default on the contract, it will be virtually impossible for the farmer to take legal action.
The farmers continued their agitation despite the COVID-19 epidemic to demand the repeal of the three laws. There were also casualties in the protests. However, the farmers did not leave the streets.
Mainly in the states of North India, there has been a series of agitations. Farmers staged a dharna on the borders of Delhi for almost a year. In the meantime farmer leaders have held meeting after meeting with the central government. But the issues were not resolved.
At one point, the Supreme Court of India directed Narendra Modi's central government to suspend three controversial agriculture laws. After that, Prime Minister Narendra Modi finally had to bow down to the farmers' long-standing agitation. In November 2021, he apologized to the countrymen and announced the repeal of the three laws.
It was assured at that time that the government would look into the demand for legal guarantee of minimum support price or MSP for crops. which has not yet been implemented. Besides, the police filed numerous cases against the farmers during that movement. Which has not been removed in the last two years.
Apart from the withdrawal of those cases, the farmers again started agitation demanding legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for crops, pension for farmers, crop insurance and waiver of all agricultural loans.
What is the minimum support price or MSP of the crop?
Minimum Support Price or MSP is the purchase and stocking of crops from farmers at government expense when there is uncertainty in the market. It can be said to be a guarantee key to farmers' produce sales and profits.
Ahead of the last Lok Sabha polls, the Modi government had announced in the 2018-19 budget that the minimum support price or MSP for the crop would be one and a half times the cost of cultivation. To ensure that farmers actually get MSP at one and a half times the cost of cultivation, the government can purchase all crops at MSP rates.
Farmers have taken to the streets for the assurance of that MSP. They demand that the MSP should be fixed at least 50 percent higher than the production cost of any crop.
Besides, farmers are protesting against the plan to privatize the power sector. State governments are currently providing electricity to farmers at subsidized rates, which helps farmers reduce production costs. The farmers are also demanding compensation for the farmers who died during the 2020-2021 protests.
Biju Krishnan, general secretary of All India Kisan Sabha, an organization participating in the current protest, said, "About 750 people were martyred during that movement."
Another demand is the sacking of a cabinet member and a Union minister whose son was accused of running a car over farmers in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri district in October 2021.
Besides, the protesting farmers want the implementation of the promises made by BJP government during the previous protests.
Farmer leader Biju Krishnan said the three controversial laws have been withdrawn. But BJP-ruled states are trying to bring them back through the back door. Even the recent budget has tried to privatize the marketing of farmers' crops.
The farmer organizations that participated in the movement
Basically, the farmers of Noida and Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh have been continuously protesting since last December to demand increase in compensation. Recently farmers called for Kisan Mahapanchayat.
And then on Tuesday (February 13) several farmer organizations of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana called for the 'Delhi Chalo' program.
Two major farmers' organizations of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh 'Sangyukt Kishan Morcha' and 'Kisan Mazdoor Morcha' are leading the movement. Under them there are 350 small and big farmer organizations in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
Apart from farmers organizations, various trade unions of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh have joined this movement. 32 organizations were involved in the last movement. In that sense, this movement is several times bigger than the service movement.
However, Rakesh Tikayet, one of the leading farmer leaders in North India, did not join the movement. However, he expressed support. He was at the helm of the 2020 movement. Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikayet said that they are monitoring this movement.
In his words, "we are watching. The failure of the talks between the government and the farmers is because the government has taken an adamant stand. It is true that we have not participated in this movement yet, but that does not mean that we do not support this movement."
The update of the farmers protests
Last Tuesday (February 13) morning, the farmers started their journey towards the capital Delhi with a procession called 'Delhi Chalo'.
The farmer leaders decided to go ahead with the march as the talks with the three ministers of the central government failed until last Monday (February 14) night. Then on Thursday (February 15) the third round of meeting was held. But there was no solution. As a result, the march towards Delhi continues.
Farmers observed 'Grameen Bharat Bandh' strike across India on Friday (February 16), the fourth day of the movement. On this day, from 6 am to 4 pm, the program to stop all kinds of activities related to cultivation and agriculture is observed across the country. At the same time 'Chakka Jam' program was observed which called all the traffics on the road to halt on its wheels.
Farmer movement entered the fourth day on Friday. Along with the 'Delhi Chalo' march, the farmer leaders called for 'Grameen Bharat Bandh' on this day.
From 6 am to 4 pm, farmers across the country have been asked to stop all farming and agricultural activities and stop traffic on roads. As a result, activities like transport and agriculture have come to a standstill. The supply of milk and vegetables has also decreased in the city.
According to the Times of India report, farmers are currently staying along the borders of Punjab and Haryana states. The situation there is getting hotter and hotter. In the meantime, there have been clashes between the police and the farmers.
The police are firing tear gas at farmers to disperse the protest. Drones are being used to fire tear gas. Farmers are also trying to repel the police by throwing bricks and stones.
During a meeting with Union ministers on Thursday, farmers' leaders strongly protested the police action, water cannons and tear gas canisters fired by drones on the agitators.
Chairman of All India Kisan Congress Sukhpal Singh Kharia said, on the one hand farmers are being beaten. On the other hand, they are also calling for a meeting.
They (the agitating farmers) are also going to talk. When the ministers called for a meeting at one o'clock in the morning, the farmer leaders were still gone. But the government did not fulfill its promise.
On the other hand, Union Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda emphasized that the aggrieved farmers should keep their word in a peaceful manner. Faced with the media on Friday morning, he said, "We want all discussions to be held in a peaceful manner." No arrangement can be made through disorganization."
Criticism of use of excessive force on farmers
Opposition political parties have criticized the BJP government for suppressing the farmers protests. Regarding the farmers' protest, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said "The protesters represent farmers across the country. But the way in which force is applied to them is not correct. So far more than 100 farmers have been injured and many have been arrested. Even they built huge prisons to imprison farmers".
He further said that when farmers are being oppressed in independent India, Prime Minister Modi is visiting abroad, Amit Shah has not uttered a word, Agriculture Minister has not been given the right to speak.
The opposition Trinamool Congress has also moved against the BJP. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had earlier condemned the use of force on farmers. In his words, "the farmers are agitating, the country is burning. But BJP doesn't care."
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