Harvest Hope, Not Anarchy

All the clamour of ‘democracy in danger’ is back again. The same nature of protests, blockade of the capital, disregard for the parliamentary system, even identical slogans targeting unity and integrity of Bharat and unchanged pressure technique of Award-wapasi, the same experiment is repeated to hold the democracy at ransom. The Shaheen Bagh experiment is being replicated again by the same forces in the form of farmers’ agitation. What is this farmers’ agitation is all about, and how should we address it?

The three agriculture reforms bills passed by the Parliament are really path-breaking. Contrary to the popular perception, they are the outcome of twenty-year-long legislative deliberations and meant to transform the farming sector. The Minimum Support Price and Agriculture Produce Marketing Committees (APMCs) are going to remain as it is. No one is going to take away the land from farmers. The only difference is that the farmers will have a choice to sell their produce outside these traditional systems, including through the contract farming mechanism. The only group that is petrified with this idea is the group of middlemen, especially in states like Punjab and Haryana.

The middlemen culture is the legacy of the old socialist system. The Arhtiyas, as these commission agents cum money lenders are called, have created this narrative of ‘everything, including land and MSP’ will be taken away from the farmers. In a country like Bharat, no Government can afford to do so politically and implement it Constitutionally. The misinformation campaign in States like Punjab was so widespread that the Congress and Akalis who are at loggerheads in the State started talking the same language. Though the Khalistani movement in Punjab has no substantial ground, the external forces are effectively playing the Sikh identity’ card against ‘Delhi’. The Maoists and Islamists who otherwise also does not believe in Constitutional Democracy were quick to sense the unrest and hijacked the protests. Unfortunately, opposition parties who were part of the debate and deliberations at various stages of legislating these bills have irresponsibly teamed up with these anarchist tendencies. Not the farmers’ agitation but the alliance of anti-democratic forces supported by the main opposition party to create anarchy and harvest political crops is the dangerous trend about which Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar had also warned.

After functioning in the closed system guided by local influencers for centuries, farmers are naturally apprehensive about the open markets and contract farming. They need to be sensitised and trained before executing these reforms. Effective dispute resolution mechanism is the best way to ensure farmers about their land security. Government is sensitively handling the negotiations. Intellectually, we should analyse and understand the genuine concerns of farmers and come up with creative solutions. Media needs to be responsible while reporting the protests. The problems engulfing the farming sector are national concerns, not just that of farmers. Hence, we should address them collectively for harvesting hope and prosperity. We cannot allow undemocratic forces to use the democratic tool of protest for targeting the very fabric of democracy. All of us, including farmers, should remember that ensuring the failure of parliamentary democracy is the ideological design of anti-Bharat forces.