It is now more than mere repealing of the three farm laws. The farmers are upbeat and possibly provoking the government. On the other hand government believes that its action to repeal the laws would keep of the ill effects of its adamancy of the last over a year.
Farmers are certainly upbeat. After a year the Yogi Adityantah government spreads the red carpet to welcome them in the state capital, Lucknow, on Monday instead of unleashing the water canon or batons.
The pitch is set for a confrontation.. The kisans, led by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha and having tacit and sometimes vocal support of all the opposition, including the Congress, Samajwadi Party and the Left now want three more immediate actions – guarantee of MSP, repealing of the what they say draconian Electricity Amendment Bill, and scrapping provisions of fines for stubble burning in the Commission for Air Quality Management Law.
The kisans have also started talking about why any car or tractor should be scrapped after ten years for silly pollution rules favouring the car makers. They want cars to ply for 40 years. They are also demanding that toll be scrapped as it devastates the rural market, blocks the development and is inflationary. The government now has its hands full.
The move to withdraw bill has virtually made Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and BKU leader Rakesh Tikait shine. Both of them had said the bill would have to be withdrawn not so long ago. In democracy, no one is more powerful than the voices of the people and their perception. No reform could be imposed against the will of the people.
A new discussion is rocking the wings of the Lucknow Mahapanchayat. Who do the central agencies help?
Largely the discussions among the participants and leaders debated that the central agencies help new leadership emerge. They drew many parallels in seeking to find that whosoever central agencies harass they become the new rulers, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Do central agencies help politically? The answer is clear, they discussed. Who should know it best? Who else but PM Narendra Modi. When he won over India, he faced various investigations and probes from the central agencies under control of the UPA government.
So it is a surprise that despite suffering himself, under his government the agencies have not changed and the opposition parties continue to allege their partisan behaviour. Or perhaps, it is no surprise. It happened before and it will happen always. During Emergency state agencies were let loose against the opposition. Yet they did not help Mrs Indira Gandhi win.
The Janata government did not learn any lesson. Possibly the temptation of making Mrs Gandhi taste her own medicine was too strong. And Mrs Gandhi returned after the premature end of the Janata experiment. But History goes on repeating itself. In UP, Mulayam Singh used the forces against KarSevaks in 1990 and two years later BJP emerged winner.
The Lucknow Mahapanchayat is strong on its demand for removal of the Union Minister Ajay Mishra, whose son is an accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri crushing of some rallyist allegedly by his car. They are also demanding withdrawal of all cases against kisan leaders lodged during the past one year. The rally is harping on – kisans are right, agitation is for a just cause against corporatization of agriculture and “the truth always prevails”.
Each of the draconian moves has perturbed and harassed farmers in UP, Haryana and Punjab and awaits similar actions possibly elsewhere. The apology of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi is being seen as succumbing to the pressures of the year-long agitation blocking key Delhi roads. Even fraternal ruling party organisations are taking tough stance wondering why a popular government should have such strong views and not listen to the people’s voices.
Various groups across Delhi have come out with a new kind of demonstration of packed cauliflower with FSSAI marks and authorization to sell it at Rs 600 a kg. Farmers allege that when they went to sell cartloads of cauliflower, the corporate groups purchased it for pittance at Rs 2 to 10 a kg. Now the big sellers are raking in huge profit “at the cost of farmers and the consumers”.
The onslaught is direct on the corporate, for whom the farmers allege, the government has designed the three farms laws. As the elections get closer every day in UP and Punjab, the posturing is becoming tougher. Each day they are trying to put up shows portraying the government as anti-people. The large Lucknow rally on Monday is beginning as the first march towards polls. Today, the UP government has not much to do but ensure that the rally is held peacefully. Possibly a few days back, the same government and its administration could have fought a pitched battle. The politics has changed to that extend. But it all may be the beginning of a prolonged tactical fight.
Some leaders of the state government are still firing salvos that they would ensure that bill is back after polls. It does or not it only steels the grit of agitators and sharpen their attack.
Would the BJP remain quiet? Absolutely not. Its IT and other propaganda cell are actively demonstrating how PM and the leadership are concerned and willing to listen to the people. The campaigners are ridiculing Navjot Singh Siddhu for his open call to be with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan as the road to Kartarpur opens up. The mood in Punjab as of now is with Sidhu. But BJP campaigners are keeping their ammunitions ready as the elections get closer.
It may once again try to pitch on pro-Pakistan or Pak sponsored support, deshdrohi and similar other epithets. But there are soberer elements in the party who are pitching in for a different plank and all agree that he drubbing at the recent bypolls, and rout in Himachal Pradesh, was an apt lesson for course correction.
The western UP is listening to the rumbles at Lucknow. The Eastern UP is also showing signs of the concern. The state of UP though looks quite is actually seething and may burst out anytime. The BJP, its IT cell and other propaganda wings are trying to remain in saddle though various kind of machinations.
The kisans are strategising to unseat the rulers hoping that popular wave will move away from the BJP. Both are preparing for new grounds, tactics and may be the next few months in UP, northern India and elsewhere become more toxic and some skirmishes may become the norm.
Shivaji Sarkar