“We Are Indian Farmers, Not Enemies Of The State’

The Central government’s failure to resolve long pending issues have brought India’s farmers protests on the boil again. The message from all across, for the authorities is not to treat the farmers as ‘enemies’.

Farmer organisations under the ambit of Samyukta Kisan Morcha-Non Political, a body outside the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) that had led the movement against the now repealed three farm Laws, are going ahead with the ‘Delhi Chalo’ programme. A round of talks held in Chandigarh reportedly failed on Monday night.

The farmers marching towards Delhi were reportedly met with teargas shells at Shambhu border between Punjab and Haryana. Some farmers were reportedly detained in Madhya Pradesh. The SKM issued a statement strongly condemning “the Modi Government for resorting to excessive use of state power which has unleashed lathi charges, rubber bullets, tear gas shells and mass arrests to prevent the Delhi Chalo March of farmers organisations. It is shocking that drones were used to drop tear gas shells over the farmers by the administration”.

According to news reports, drones were used to hit the farmers with smoke bombs at the Shambhu border. With the authorities intent on not allowing the farmers to enter the National Capital there have been reports of Delhi borders being ‘fortified’, and various methods being used in Haryana to stop their movement. There has been an internet shutdown in force at various places.

Visuals and reports of barricading of borders and roads leading to them, with boulders, concrete blocks, heavy vehicles, trenches and barbed wire fencing, filled social media on Tuesday. Movement between Punjab and Haryana had been hit from Sunday and commuters had to take long detours to reach their destinations.

Meanwhile, the Right Wing machinery has once again resorted to its tried and tested tactics of branding the farmers as ‘anti-national’ and ‘Khalistanis’.

On the other hand, the farmers trying to move towards Delhi have got support from the main opposition Congress party, and also from the SKM which has already announced a Grameen Bandh or a rural shutdown, on February 16. This shutdown follows other agitations and protests that have been carried out in coordination with various trade unions and other organisations over the past several months.

The SKM called on all its member organisations and their units across India to “strongly protest against the attack on farmers in Punjab on February 16 2024, in all the villages across India and make the Grameen Bandh and Industrial/Sectoral Strike across India even more massive, extensive and successful.”

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi made a strong statement through his tweet and announced, “Farmer brothers, today is a historic day! Congress has decided to give legal guarantee of MSP (minimum support price) to every farmer on crops as per Swaminathan Commission. This step will change the lives of 15 crore farmer families by ensuring their prosperity. This is the first guarantee of Congress on the path of justice.”

This edition of the farmers’ movement that comes to the fore barely a few weeks before the Lok Sabha polls are announced, is all set to have political ramifications.The SKM has appealed to all like minded farmer organisations and platforms to build a common and united issue based struggle.

Stating that the Union government desires to depict the farmers’ movement as ‘divided’, and is trying to divert people’s attention, the SKM stated that it, “considers the various Kisan organisations and platforms are also fighting on the same and common demands, hence, all of the like minded Kisan organisations should make an effort to build a common and united struggle on these issues. As a first step we urge all of you to kindly extend support and participate actively in the call for February 16 (Grameen Bandh)”.

SKM leader Rakesh Tikait told the news agency ANI that there are several farmer unions and they have different issues. He said that if the government creates a problem for these farmers who are marching towards Delhi, ‘we are not far from them’.

The SKM has written to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the hope that the government will see reason to address and solve the problems he had promised to SKM on December 9, 2021 when the farm laws were withdrawn.

“As a reminder we are briefing for your reference on these issues. They are MSP for all crops at Swaminathan formula of C2+50% with legal guarantee of procurement; debt waiver with reduction in input costs; no raise in electricity tariff and no to smart metres as per the new electricity bill; free 300 units electricity for farming and for domestic use and shops; comprehensive crop insurance payable for damage to each plot of land; punishment to Guilty of Lakhimpur carnage including sending main accused Ajay Misra Teni to jail; hike in pensions to Rs 10,000 per month and others,” the letter states.

The SKM-Non Political gave a ‘Delhi Chalo’ call on the same set of demands. “We observe with deep regret that in place of solving these problems -

A. Your government has failed to form and conduct the committee to look into all these issues and resolve them in a time bound manner.

B. Your ministers have been hesitant to talk with SKM while more interested to talk with other platforms to project that the farmers' movement is divided in order to escape from your constitutional responsibility of solving the problems that distress the farmers.

C. Your government and that of Haryana and UP led by the BJP have resorted to repressive measures on peaceful protests of farmers and inflicted an atmosphere of terror on common farmers.

We would like to make clear that all these three measures are unacceptable in responsible governance. We strongly protest the repression unleashed on farmers today at Punjab border unleashing lathi charge, rubber bullet and tear gas shelling making many injured and want to clear that the Kisan Movement in India is united and single minded and will resist any such act of authoritarianism and excessive use of state power,” the SKM’s letter stated.

The farmers have asked PM Modi to show sympathy to the plight of farmers in the face of severe onslaught of the corporate intervention in agriculture actively supported by the union budgets and departmental actions.

Meanwhile, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has reportedly verbally questioned the state of Haryana on placing blockades on the highway following the farmers' protests.

The Court verbally observed that the farmers were passing through the highways and had the right to movement and also to assemble.

On the other hand, Union Agriculture minister Arjun Munda reportedly told PTI that a law guaranteeing MSP on crops cannot be brought about in a hurry without consulting all stakeholders. He urged the protesting farmer groups to have a structured discussion with the government on the issue. He also cautioned the farmers to be ‘aware and alert’ about elements that could defame their protest for political benefits.

After the use of force by the authorities at Shambhu border, there have been some sharp political reactions in Punjab and Haryana. Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Punjab Partap Singh Bajwa said, “The Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has made it an Indo-Pak border. In their attempt to stop farmers from going to Delhi, the Haryana police have been committing cruelty on innocent farmers.

“The tear gas shells are being used to stop the farmers. Haryana police have detained the protestors. How can he stop fellow citizens from exercising their democratic right?

“The farmers are struggling for the farmers from across the country. Haryana CM should not forget that it has an agriculture-based economy like Punjab. If the MSP on all crops gets legalised, the farming community of Haryana will benefit too. By suppressing the farmers' protest 2.0, the Haryana CM demonstrated his anti-farmer face.”

Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said, “India stands singular in treating its food producers as dissenters. Our country's genesis lies in peaceful dissent, yet our farmers encounter impediments in exercising this right. The barriers erected at the Haryana borders surpass those witnessed at the Indo-Pak border. The central government, apprehensive of Punjab's agrarian might, seems to brace for conflict.”

He went on to state, “The demand for MSP escalation commensurate with inflation and wage increases is justifiable. How can farmers subsist on such a meagre MSP? Presently, farmers earn a paltry Rs 27 per acre. Furthermore, debt waiver is imperative for Punjab's farmers burdened with approximately Rs 75,000 crores in debt, shared among approximately 24,92,000 farmers.

“The UPA government, under Dr. Manmohan Singh, waived Rs 72,000 crores in farmer debt, supplemented by Punjab's Congress-led government waiving 4,640 crores. Conversely, the central government opts to absolve debts of corporate behemoths, totaling up to Rs 15,00,000 crores, including 3,50,000 crores from willful defaulters. Such partiality is indefensible.”

Announcing a legal aid helpline for the farmers, Warring said, “Our legal team offers complimentary legal assistance to those at the protest round-the-clock, facilitated through a dedicated mobile hotline. The mobile number for the same is *82838-35469*.”

On the other hand, Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) president Sukhbir Singh Badal claimed that as “the sole and long standing champion of farmers' rights”, his party “fully stands by the farmers and supports their just demands and their right to peaceful democratic protest”. He appealed to the Government of India to “immediately fulfil all the commitments already made to farmers”.

In Haryana, senior Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader Abhay Singh Chautala accused the BJP-led Union Government of adopting a ‘dictatorial attitude’ and treating farmers like ‘enemies’. “The BJP government of Haryana has imposed an undeclared emergency. On the orders of the government, the police are going to the villages and threatening the farmers that a case will be registered against anyone who supports the farmers in the movement, those in government jobs will be dismissed from their jobs and their passports will be cancelled,” Chautala said.

The INLD claims to be a ‘farmers’ party’ and Haryana Assembly polls are also scheduled to be held a few months after the Parliamentary polls.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led Delhi government meanwhile has turned down the Centre’s proposal to convert Bawana stadium into a temporary jail. The AAP in a tweet said that the demands of the farmers are genuine and it is the constitutional right of every citizen to protest peacefully.

Questions are also being raised on the use of force on farmers by authorities in Haryana while they were on the Punjab side of the Shambhu border. Senior Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia alleged that there was “complicity and conspiratorial collusion between the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and the Haryana Government”. He accused them of “subjecting the Punjab farmers to tear gas shells and other forms of brutal repression on Punjab’s soil”, and sought an explanation from Mann.

Majithia asked how Haryana could police carry out this “repression” on Punjab’s soil which is beyond their legal jurisdiction. The Akali leader said that this was unprecedented in the history of Punjab.