The wounds inflicted on the agitating farmers during their tractor march to the capital on Republic Day are fresh and raw. The country is still unable to come to terms with the monumental assault on the sacred symbol of the republic, the Tricolour fluttering atop the Red Fort, by a bunch of criminals masquerading as farmers. It was, in fact, a double assault since the intention was clearly to sabotage the valiant, peaceful fight of the farmers to stop the government from, as they are convinced, snatching their livelihood by imposing three contentious farm laws.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his first Mann Ki Baat address of this year rightly regretted “Amidst all this, the country was saddened by the insult to the Tricolour on January 26.” To this Rakesh Tikait of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) has equally rightly responded by urging the government to nab those who insulted the national flag which “the whole nation loves.” The government is yet to arrest the main perpetrators of the violence, who are known BJP supporters and one of whom was an election agent of a star saffron MP from Punjab.
The previous day, the PM had announced in the customary all-party meeting before the Budget session that “the government has not closed the door” for discussion with the farmers. The farmers’ representatives responded by saying “Farmers are ready to hold talks with the government, but not at gunpoint.”
This only brings things back to square one. For, there have already been interminable rounds of fruitless discussions, with both sides sticking to their ground. The government won’t budge from its position of only being amenable to some changes in the laws, while the farmers will end their agitation only if the laws are repealed.
Adding to the complex situation is the zeal of the Delhi and the UP police to crack down on the farmers and critics of the government by lodging spates of FIRs to intimidate them and tar their agitation using the pretext of violence and vandalism during the tractor march. The UP administration is also going out of its way to disrupt the agitation by withdrawing power and water facilities from the venues of agitation. Simultaneously, so-called local residents of the areas where the farmers are agitating are now demanding clearance of their roads.
The whole move, starting from the violence engineered by elements who were ostensibly not part of the agitation, is suspect for two reasons. First, the agitation has since November 26, 2020, been peaceful. The farmers, old and young and their womenfolk, have in the process endured severe cold staying in the open air with several of them even dying. Second, right from the beginning, the government tried to tarnish the agitation with an orchestrated propaganda that it was backed by Khalistanis with funds and men. It is difficult to believe that an agitation which had remained peaceful since inception two months ago could suddenly turn violent. On the other hand, the government has been reactive in the whole matter. First, it tried to hide under the cloak of the Supreme Court judges. Then smartly, the SC pushed the dice back to the Delhi police, claiming it was a law and order administrative work. Without a cover of legality, the police permitted the tractor rally. Interestingly, amongst many videos doing the social media rounds, there are those showing how the police are allowing a certain number of people to pass through the barricade towards Red Fort. This behavior of the police would seem suspect when the aftermath happened.
It is unfortunate the way FIRs with hard sections such as treason are being lodged indiscriminately since the rally against farm leaders who have been negotiating with the Centre. Of over 40 such leaders, more than 30 have been named by the Delhi Police under the Home Ministry. This only creates the impression that the government is trying to discredit the farmers’ agitation and bulldoze opposition to the farm laws.
Another matter of concern is a recent report that claims about 100 farmers going missing from the day of the tractor rally. This is disconcerting since every day that passes without a search for or trace of them mounts fears of the worst. There could also be a possibility that these farmers are being held hostage to build pressure for negotiation as well as weakening the farmers’ morale.
It is known that India has an agriculture based economy. The proof is observed annually when, after a good crop, the Sensex goes high and dips after every poor harvest. Notwithstanding our slogan of Jai Jawan Jai Kisan, this severe style of persecution of farmers could lead to a dangerous and divisive future for the country.