The Cabal, Conspiracies and Genuine Concerns

 

As expected, the blockade created in the name of farmers’ protest has finally reached the Supreme Court, as various rounds of dialogues undertaken from the Government side did not fructify in resolving the impasse. To understand the seriousness of the challenge posed by this crisis to our democratic system, we need to analyse the three layers of these protests by the ‘farmers’ unions’.

The ongoing protest is the direct outcome of the irresponsible position taken by the opposition in Parliament, especially the Rajya Sabha. Instead of debating the Bills and coming up with constructive suggestions, the opposition led by the Congress chose to boycott the proceedings. Another group of middlemen, mainly from Punjab, taking a cue from the ruckus and the boycott in Parliament and the confusion emanating from it over the farm Bills, adopted the same strategy on the ground despite the Punjab Assembly passing a resolution regarding non-implementation of the new Acts. Here, Akali Dal, which was very much part of the Government when the original Ordinances were brought in and defended it with full force, saw a political danger. There has always been a small pocket of radical Communists in Punjab, since the pre-Independence period. They had even passed the resolution in favour of creating Pakistan and, eventually flirted with the Khalistani sentiments. Their non-agrarian leaders always tried to play around the farmers’ issues while enjoying the luxuries of foreign-funded NGOism and white-collar jobs in their personal lives. Darshan Lal, Hannan Mollah and Jagmohan Singh Patiala etc. who have emerged as the faces of ‘Kisan Unions’ are apparent symptoms of the problem. They created unease for the both Congress and Akalis in Punjab and were forced to join the bandwagon of protests.

Internationally, there are always actors who want to see a democratic and decisive Bharat, rising on the fundamentals of selfhood, facing internal ripples. China has been at the forefront in this game along with Pakistan. The Communists of Bharat who take inspiration and instruction from Beijing have started a parallel instigation in the labour and education sectors. The disgruntled Khalistani forces that are defeated by the nationalists in Punjab are finding an opportunity in this scenario. Some organisations flourished or funded from the foreign soil are hatching a conspiracy through social media platforms. If someone still denies these perceptible conspiracies, then that person is either blind or a part of the game.

The agriculture sector in Bharat has been in troubles for centuries. Overdependence and fragmentation of the land is the crux of the problem which scholars like Dr Ambedkar analysed with possible remedies. Unfortunately, the socialist policies of the Nehruvian era, though increased agricultural production, could not address those fundamental issues. As the NITI Ayog report on MSP in 2016 pointed out, 73 per cent of farmers in Bharat are still in the small or marginal category and hardly have any access to policies like MSP. The NDA Government led by Prime Minister Modi came up with the ambitious target of doubling the farmers’ income by 2022 by reducing the input costs, giving insurance cover and creating more avenues for seamless market access for farmers. The present agricultural reforms may be imperfect, but indeed a sign of resolve in the right direction. The real challenge for the Government is to segregate the conspirators and Cabal of petty political interests from the genuine farmers. Communicating with the actual farmers and discrediting the fraudulent ones will be the best way to find a solution to the ongoing façade in the name of farmers.