The writer is a senior journalist and columnist
It is an hour of serious national crisis. Lakhs of protesting farmers of India are demanding adequate prices for their farm produce, which is very genuine. They have left their houses hundreds of miles away, some of them with their womenfolk, and have made the protesting ground around Delhi their new shanti shelters as a protest- homes.
It is the 42nd day on Tuesday 4th January 2021, that braving the chilling cold and rain-fed brutal weather, but continuing to protest till their demand for repealing the three contentious farms acts and legal status to Minimum Support Price (MSP) were accepted. During these testing times, 50 of them including a woman farmer have lost their lives, and by making these sacrifices for the cause of fighting the farmer’s community, they have become our national heroes.
These agitating farmers, nationalist to the core of their heart, have been branded as anti-nationals; agents of Pakistan, Khalistanis (supporters of separate state Khalistan), and many more derogatory and insulting adjectives by anti-national media (Gutter press). The Tv channels hurled barbs on them. These farmers are the same set of great nationalists, among them, many have sent their sons to armed forces for protecting the security of the Indian nation.
The stubborn attitude of the Indian government, which appears to be testing farmers' will power and endurance by involving over 40 Kissan Unions into prolonged discussions without reaching any conclusion. There have been eight meetings in 40 days but no settlement with farmers. There may be a tricky trap the ultra-right government of PM Narendera Modi, has been netting around the farmers to catch them like a fly caught in the net of small multi-long-legs insects in a corner of a room.
Protesting farmers from all over India around various entry points of Delhi
But vigilant farmers leaders with their antennas alive caching government’s every vicious move do not even screech to smell the bate. They are united. This is their success point so far, and the failure of the three ministers and over 30 officials of the Modi-Shah government.
Viewing this as a backgrounder, it is a question for every one of us where do you stand vis a vis farmers’ demands? Try to locate your position. It is a very simple proposition you peep into your heart and ask yourself whether you are with the protesting farmers or not? are you against the farmers’ demands? If you say you are neutral, mind it! You are in fact against the farmers’ demands. Because neutrals are silent supporters of the Government’s stand against the farming community of India.
In 1946, an eminent British writer George Orwell mentioned: “The petty Indian capitalists exploit the town workers with utmost ruthlessness, the peasants live from birth to death in the grip of money lenders. But all this is an indirect result of the British rule, which aims half-consciously at keeping India as backward as possible.”
This was the farmers’ economic health during the British rule, and one finds hardly any change in that attitude of retaining the peasants in similar backward and poor financial conditions. The Britishers used India as a producer of cheap agriculture products to export them to the United Kingdom and other European countries, George Orwell pointed out. The PM Modi government does not appear to have any love for the farmers, therefore, through these three farm acts, its hidden agenda appears to be similar to the Britishers’ mindset as a foreign ruler, which is to keep farmers as backward as much as possible. These anti farmers British policies have been allowed to continue in India, even after 72 years of its freedom. These Modi's 3-farms acts would further deteriorate farmers' financial health.
Check where you stand in this farmers struggle
Therefore, the farmers’ protests at Delhi are an attempt to wriggle out of the continued worse economic conditions perpetuated by the British regime, which now the Modi-Shah government has brought in the design of three obnoxious farm acts and forcibly imposed on the farmers of the country.
The farmers’ unions have understood Government’s cunningly crafted design to trap them for all times to come, and, therefore, the farmers and their families have rebelled, may have to fight a prolonged battle, braving cruel weather conditions and difficult style of sustaining in the tractor-trollies or some time even under the trollies. The Central government would not easily withdraw these three obnoxious farm acts, which in fact are Corporate Farming acts. These acts are meant to enrich the richest of the rich among the Indians to keep farmers poorer of the poor among Indians.
The writer is a senior journalist and columnist