Farmers' eventful year-long resistance against government draws to a close

New Delhi: A joint group of farmers camping at the borders of national capital New Delhi for more than a year has started withdrawing from the protest sites on Saturday. It's more than a year for the protesting farmers that came from different regions of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and also from Western Uttar Pradesh, demanding the repeal of three farm laws passed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government in September last year.

The return of farmers from Delhi border symbolises a year-long eventful struggle against the government that earlier refused to budge, but eventually conceded to the demands of powerful farmer's groups, that organised themselves as Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Joint Farmers' Front), an umbrella organisation of over 30 farmers groups.

It is a major victory for these farmer's organisations as their struggle saw several ups and downs, including court battles, agitation and tractor rallies, but finally succeeded in bending the government which enjoys a clear majority in the Lok Sabha.

Protests confined to Punjab spread elsewhere

In June last year, the Centre used the ordinance route for agriculture sector reform as it enacted three ordinances. According to reports, farmers started organising protests in Punjab against the three laws from August last year.

These protests started to take a more concrete shape as soon as they were passed by the Parliament in September 2020. However, these protests were mainly confined to Punjab, an agrarian state on the Pakistan border that is known as the food bowl of the country.

The farmer’s protests also did not attract much attention in mainstream media at that time except the three-day rail blockade called by farmers in Punjab on September 24 and a nationwide road blockade in early November.

The farmer's protest became a national issue as soon as these groups gave a call to move to the national capital Delhi in November last year. Authorities refused permission citing Covid protocol. Farmers groups marching towards Delhi faced water canons and several other hurdles but they succeeded in setting their camps on the outskirts of Delhi, at Singhu border, Tikri border and Ghazipur border.

Farmers also rejected the government's appeal to vacate the borders and move to an alternate site, the Burari ground.

In his monthly radio address that is broadcast on the last Sunday of every month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to lead the government’s response and defended the three farm laws in his Mann Ki Baat Programme that was aired on November 29.

Sensing a long-drawn struggle ahead of them, farmers then started setting up community kitchens, known as Langars, brought food grain, and erected temporary structures to house a large number of protesters during the winters.

Government calls for talks

The government started the consultation process when it failed to convince the farmers, and the first round of talks took place in early December last year. The same month Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) also moved to the Supreme Court against the three farm laws. Senior ministers like Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, and Commerce and Industries Minister Piyush Goyal joined the talks with farmers but failed to persuade them to end their agitation.

A section of media and government supporters also blamed anti-national elements for hijacking the movement. In January, the Supreme Court stayed the operation of the three laws until further orders but the farmers still refused to vacate the borders.

Milestone moment

A tractor parade organised by the protesting farmers on the occasion of Republic Day was an important milestone in the movement. A group of protesters violated the agreed route and reached the iconic Red Fort in Central Delhi and ITO.

They clashed with police which resorted to use of teargas. A farmer died as his tractor turned upside down while trying to run-over a police barricade. Some protesters also hoisted Sikh religious flag Nishan Sahib on the Red fort that was considered an affront to the National flag.

The vandalism at the tractor parade did dent the image of farmer’s protest being a peaceful protest but it highlighted the protests at the global scale as several global activists lent their support to the movement.

Subsequent to vandalism and arson at the tractor parade, Delhi Police registered a case of sedition, citing an alleged plan of action referred to as ‘toolkit’ which was shared by activist Greta Thunberg. Police arrested Punjabi actor Deep Sidhu for vandalism at the Red Fort and also arrested activist Disha Ravi for participating in the alleged conspiracy.

In February, the farmers intensified their agitation by calling for a nationwide rail blockade on December 18 which received mixed response in Punjab and Haryana.

Developments in Punjab, Haryana

In March, Captain Amarinder Singh government in Punjab passed a resolution in the assembly, urging the Centre to repeal the three farm laws.

In April, Dushyant Chautala, leader of BJP ally Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) and deputy chief minister of Haryana, wrote a letter to Prime Minister Modi, urging him to find an amicable solution to the farmers’ issues.

Farmers observed a Kala Din (Black Day) on May 27 as their protest on the Delhi border completed six months.

The issue continued to resonate in Parliament during the monsoon session in July this year and leaders from more than a dozen political parties visited Jantar Mantar in New Delhi where a small group of farmers was allowed to hold Kisan Sansad.

Karnal Lathi-charge incident

In August this year, the farmer’s protest against BJP leaders in Karnal district of Haryana turned violent due to the clash between farmers and police which resorted to lathi-charge. A farmer, Sushil Kajal, who participated in the protest, died the next day, his family alleged that he was beaten by Police and could not receive any medical assistance as Police had blocked the roads. However, Police rejected the charge saying Sushil Kajal died of a heart attack.

In protest, farmers seized the Karnal mini-secretariat and demanded compensation for the victim and action against the IAS officer Ayush Sinha, SDM of Karnal, who had asked police to baton charge the protesting farmers. Farmers ended their seize after Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar ordered an inquiry by a retired judge.

Political message of Muzaffarnagar Kisan Panchayat

In September, members of Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) organised a maha-panchayat (large assembly) in Muzaffarnagar district in Western Uttar Pradesh, a stronghold of the Jat community, which is traditionally engaged in cultivation.

Farmer leaders present on the protest site announced their plan to campaign against BJP in the upcoming assembly elections that are due early next year. BKU leader Rakesh Tikait had already visited West Bengal against the BJP during assembly elections early this year.

The Muzaffarnagar Kisan Panchayat succeeded in sending the right signals to the BJP which rules both the Centre and India’s most populous state Uttar Pradesh. Assembly elections are due in five states Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur early next year and the BJP rules four of the five states except Punjab which is ruled by the Congress.

The BJP is also trying to improve its prospects in Punjab by forging an alliance with the former chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh who had to resign from the office due to the lobbying by his party rival Navjot Singh Sidhu.

Farm laws repealed

Given the importance of Guru Parab, the birth anniversary of the Founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak Dev, Prime Minister Modi announced the government’s decision to repeal the three farm laws on November 19.

The government moved the Farm Laws Repeal Bill in Parliament on November 29, the first day of winter session, and both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha passed the Bill the same day.

After the receipt of President Ram Nath Kovind’s assent, the law ministry notified the Bill on December 1, completing the official process of repeal.

After a series of meetings and assurance from the government regarding their other pending demands, including MSP, the farmers started to withdraw from the Delhi border on Saturday (December 11).