The farmers in India- mainly from Punjab and Harayana initiated a demonstration against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government for “three farm laws” passed in September 2020.
The demonstrations were started as early as August 2020, when the bills were proposed. In November, the agriculture community decided on a peaceful gathering at Grain Market in Ambala, Harayana, and then move forward to their plan of “capturing Delhi” for a peaceful protest. But, to stop the assembly, the government of Harayana deployed enormous security forces with water cannons and tear gases and placed barricades on roads to stop the “peaceful assembly” of farmers.
The farmers conquered the Harayana government’s barriers and reached the outskirts of Delhi for a massive peaceful protest.
Since November 26, 2020, these farmers have been sleeping on roads in icy conditions to demonstrate against the “farm laws.” The agriculture community has been continuously demanding the Indian government revoke these laws.
Farmers have been referring to these “Farm Laws” as a threat to MSP (Minimum Support Price), APMC (Agricultural Produce Market Committee). They believe that these laws would also endanger their rights to their ancestral agriculture fields. They believe the corporates offering contract farming would make efforts to “permanently capture” their agricultural lands.
The three laws, namely: Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020, are being highly opposed by farming communities of Punjab and Harayana where APMC’s are still in progress.
An Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) is a marketing board established by state governments in India to ensure farmers are safeguarded from exploitation by large retailers and that the farm to retail price spread does not reach excessively high levels. States regulate APMCs through their adoption of an Agriculture Produce Marketing Regulation (APMR) Act.
The Indian government continues to emphasize creating a “free market” with no control of authorities. However, this would make it extremely easy for larger buyers to exploit the small farmers by offering them relatively small prices.
The exploitation of these farmers will not be protected if the government fails to ensure their virtues. These “free markets” are excluded from any lawful action, and the absence of MSP (Minimum Support Price) will not be ensured.
The minimum support price is an agricultural product price set by India’s Government to purchase directly from the farmer. By definition, this rate safeguards the farmer to a minimum profit for the harvest if the open market has a lesser price than the cost incurred.
In June 2020, the Cabinet had approved amendments to the Essential Commodities Act 1955, removing any provisions halting wheat and paddy storage on larger scales.
The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act is concerning doing away with the Centre’s authorities to command stockholding limits on foodstuffs, except under “exceptional conditions.” These could be war, hunger, other common calamities of ominous nature, annual retail price rise surpassing 100% in horticultural crop (basically onions and potato) and 50% for non-perishables (cereals, pulses, and edible oils).
The Indian government maintains to have created the new farm laws to enable the farmers to sell their crops in different states. However, thousands of Punjab farmers are already selling their fruits, vegetables, basmati, and melons in various other states for decades without any interference or difficulty. Farmers believe that these new laws were introduced to give the free market to corporations, traders, and other inter-state buyers, giving an advantage to commerce, not the farming sector.
The farmers have been freely selling their crops all across the country without any restriction. The Indian government started to propagate the laws by stating that “farmers can now freely sell their products to different states.”
Schedule 7 of the Indian constitution has a union list consisting of 97 items, which gives the parliament a right to make any law. Similarly, the state list has 66 items allowing states to make their laws. However, the union lists mention “agricultural” word four times, but it adds that the “Centre Government” would not have any powers on making laws on this subject.
In the state list, “agriculture” has been mentioned seven times, clearly mentioning that the “states will have the rights to make laws on this sector.”
Even the concurrent list that talks about issues on which state and center both have a right to make laws prohibit the centre from solely acting upon establishing laws on “agriculture.”
Under entry 33 of the concurrent list, the centre must talk about “trade and commerce”; however, agriculture does not fall in this category. But, the treatment the agriculture sector have received by the centre government of India on these farm laws was clearly unlawful.
The act of passing these three laws is clearly a “Colourable exercise of power”, where the parliament did not have the authority to pass the bills; however, the government did it anyway.
Reports suggest that Farmers and Harayana earned 30% more profits on their Wheat and Paddy produces in 20180-2019 compared to the farmers of Bihar and Odisha. There are uncontrolled and somewhat regulated markets in Bihar and Odisha.
The demonstrations on the borders of the Indian capital are like never seen before, at the protesting site- farmers can be seen distributing free food to the police officials who are guilty of thrashing the protestors by using water cannons, tear gases, and even sticks.
Some of the farmers who are over the ages of 80-year-old are protesting peacefully on the capital’s borders, and they are sleeping on the highway in tents. However, the treatment they have been receiving from the Modi government is exceptionally heart-wrenching.
The central Government has passed three agricultural laws that opened the eyes of all the citizens in India. These black laws are nothing but the dark future of fundamental rights.
The Government proposed three bills, which are The Farmer’s Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act 2020 – The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act 2020 – Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. The Government suggested that the laws will transform farmers’ future for good, but farmers opposed all three-bills claiming those to be amended for the benefit of big corporate houses and bring monopolization in the farming sector.
Farmers fear that after the implementation of the new laws, APMCs would not be functional any further, and Minimum Support Price (MSP) assurance will not be applicable on produces pushing agriculture of the country towards the dark side.
Talking about the APMC and MSP history, APMC Act-like laws were first established under the British, who wanted colonies to grow cheap raw material like cotton for their companies in Britain. This is made for the purchase of middlemen or mediators. Prior they will negotiate and fix a price.
Initially, one of the significant demands of protesting farmers is that the Indian Government’s assurance that it will not scrap the minimum support price (MSP) regime and continue to obtain rice and wheat from them. Farmers are afraid that the law would commence to incompetent demand for their produce in local markets. However, with the development, Farmers are now demanding complete rollback of the laws.
According to several reports, if big private stakeholders come into the agriculture business, if contract farming occurs, then some people might prompt to vegetables, oil, seeds, pulses, and other grains. Presently, India spends $10 billion a year in obtaining vegetable oils, edible oils, and oilseeds. The source of incomes of farmers in the respective states providing the excess crop isn’t rising.
Farmers’ unions from states like Punjab, Rajasthan, Bihar, Maharashtra, and Haryana made their way to the country’s capital New Delhi for a peaceful protest against the Government. The Government blatantly forced farmers on the border to restrict their entry into the capital that agonize the farmers. In response, they fought back and stood there to fight against all the laws implemented by the BJP-led Government.
No administration has the right to violate the public’s life. Indian farmers are fighting for their rights on the Singhu border. This gave a boost to the youth of the nation, which turned the whole world upside-down.
After realizing the Government is playing with the source of income of these Indian farmers, they protested with a most revolutionary strike. Farmers fought like a knight in the battle of mainstream media and Government.
In this fight for democracy, mainstream media played the role of the most pathetic character. They defamed this peaceful protest through various means, sometimes calling them terrorists to anti-nationals.
Additionally, Bhartiya Janata Party governments in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh had attempted to block the farmers from crossing state borders. When the farmers crossed via the barricades, police batons, tear gas, and water cannons were used. This aggression was made to demolish the protest, but it worked in favor of the farmers as they garnered national and international support.
The whole world witnessed the death of democracy on that day. This attack was the second wake-up call for the Indians. People were in tears, and that tears were more robust than the baseless gimmicks of Government.
When it came to the confrontation of this attack by the Government, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar declared that the Government had received reports that the protesters’ ranks included Khalistani people, who want an independent state. According to them, for security reasons from those communities, it was needed to restrict the protest. They added that they have no evidence regarding this claim but this information was magnified by several news channels (Mostly which are under the influence of the BJP government).
According to farmers, the Government paid news channels for defaming the protest. Indian farmers never relied on national media for their support in this strike. Nonetheless, they started their own medium to spread their message. In the fourth week of protest, A team of half-a-dozen youngsters comes out with a four-page publication. The tabloid-sized newspaper, Trolley Times, covers the agitation’s numerous events at the Delhi borders, the rebels’ second home. The newspaper is available as a hard copy and also available on social media platforms. The first edition of the paper (in Punjabi and Hindi) was given among farmers.
The (Trolley Times) newspaper collaborates with siblings Ajaypal Natt and Navkiran Natt from Mansa, writer Surmeet Mavi, Gurdeep Singh Dhaliwal, Narinder Bhinder, and songwriter Jassi Sangha. They are now discovering ways to get contributions to meet the Rs 10,000 per edition cost, including the paper’s design and print from Delhi.
Before this, other youngsters have utilized digital platforms like “Kisan Ekta Morcha” and “Tractor 2 Twitter” to focus on everyday incidents at the respective borders, including farm leaders’ perspectives and a wide section of farmers.
In this protest, people have given their support to maintain the attributes of democracy in India. NGO’s like Khalsa Aid take actively part in this protest against agricultural farm laws. They have provided Langar (food and water) and other essential commodities in this strike.
Their team is working closely with the organizers of the protest on the ground. They are doing all these works without additional funds. This organization provides 24/7 support to the farmers protesting at the Singhu and Tikri border.
They have started with Langar on Day 1, November 28. The farmers didn’t have daily essentials such as undergarments, towels, toiletries, and sanitary kits. Khalsa Aid guaranteed the fulfillment of these items on ground zero. They keep all the things — toothpaste, oil, soap, and more, in baskets at our stall for three hours in the morning and the evening.
Farmers are still protesting for their rights and will continue to fight for their rights. Farmer’s objection is the spirit that was lacking in the citizens. They made it realized that the public has the power to destroy or make. Their today’s protest will be tomorrow’s Revolution.
On September 27, 2020, the central Government of India converted three controversial bills into acts passing from the lower and upper house of the Indian Parliament under the Legislative Department – Ministry of Law and Justice. The acts garnered enormous criticism after more than a million farmers marched to the capital in protest against Government’s lack of empathy. However, all three laws complement each other, and in the view of consequence, most of them will certainly harm the small and medium farmers. Nevertheless, it will also money strap the large farmers on the mercy of corporates taking contracts, ultimately force the closure of APMCs all across Punjab and Haryana states – the rest of other states have almost lost the regulation for years. As a result, farmers are suffering a major decline in purchase prices, which accounts for half an amount than regulated prices.
The Act was established in 1955 to ensure the delivery of certain commodities or products, the of which, if obstructed due to hoarding or black market, would affect the normal life of the people. This includes food items, drugs, and petroleum products.
The Act is among the three controversial bills passed by the Indian Government in September 2020. Initially, the prime purpose of the Act was to provide security for the citizens as there were some instances of food items’ scarcity. But, by the time it evolved into protection from corporate sectors from storing a larger number of capacities forcing a rise in price in the market and then releasing it for more profiting prices.
BJP-led Indian Government is well known for having strong relations with several top corporate houses of the nation, including one of the richest men of Asia. The act states, “The supply of such foodstuffs, including cereals, pulses, potato, onions, edible oilseeds, and oils, as the Central Government may, by notification in the official gazette, specify, may be regulated only under extraordinary circumstances which may include war, famine, extraordinary price rice and natural calamity of grave nature.”
It further states that any action on imposing stock limit shall be based on price rise, and order for regulating stock limit of any agricultural produce may be issued under this Act if there is a price hike of 100% of horticulture produce. 2. 50% increase in the retail price of non-perishable agricultural foodstuff.
In easy words, any person or company can store the food produce by Farmer after purchasing it for an indefinite period of time, which will certainly increase the product value giving about double profit to the corporate houses. As mentioned in the Act, Government will not interfere until the price has reached double and the price will be evaluated every year – which means a crop sold for Rs 100 by the Farmer is retailed at Rs 190 by corporate, next year the threshold price would increase to 380 as corporates increased the standard rates to almost double.
The Act was established to provide for a national framework on farming agreements that protects and empowers farmers to engage with agri-business firms, processors, wholesalers, exporters, or large retailers from farm services and sale of future farming produce at a mutually agreed remunerative price.
The Act states the contractual farming between farmers and third party buyers who can register themselves using PAN (Permanent Account Number) card. The Act states that the agreement should be a minimum of at least one crop cycle and the maximum period shall be of 5 years – yet the Act states that the agreement period can go beyond five years with mutual consent of Farmer and buyer.
As per the quality is concerned, the price agreed can fluctuate. It also states that the delivery of produce shall be taken by the buyer or sponsor at the farm gate and shall take the delivery within the agreed time. The Act states that the buyer shall make the one-third payment at delivery and clear the dues within 30 days period from the date of delivery.
The Act further states the Essential Commodities Ast: Anything contained in the EC Act in any control orders issued related to stock limit shall not be applicable to such quantities of farming produce as are purchased under a farming agreement entered into in accordance with the provisions of the EC Act.
This Act itself provides a wider platform for the big corporate houses to take down the farmers under contractual farming as a most severe amendment of contract module is that if in case there is a dispute between buyer and Farmer, Sub-Divisional Magistrate is the official responsible for resolving the matters. If not, then Appellate Authority (Agriculture Secretary) is designated the supreme authority under the Code of Civil Procedures, 1908. And according to the Act, farmers cannot reach out to the civil court for resolution. If the Act is taken practically, several farmers have expressed their dejection as most of the high officials of Government are unreachable by an ordinary man and how a small farmer can reach out to SDM. Moreover, the dark reality of India is that corporates are more likely to have a good relationship with bureaucracy and have influence over them. Consequently, farmers’ voices would be gauged if any dispute occurs.
“No civil Court shall have jurisdiction to entertain any suit or proceedings in respect of any dispute which a Sub-Divisional Authority or the Appellate Authority is empowered by or under this Act to decide, and no injunction shall be granted by any court or other authority in respect of any action taken or to be taken in pursuance of any power conferred by or under this Act or any rules made thereunder.”
An Act to provide for the creation of an ecosystem where the farmers and traders enjoy the freedom of choice relating to the sale and purchase of farmers’ produce, which facilitates remunerative prices through competitive alternative trading channels.
Here the Act describes the trade of produce, channels, and buyers. As described under previous law, the Act states, “Provided that no trader, except the farmer producer organizations or agricultural co-operative society, shall trade in any scheduled farmers’ produce unless such a trader has a permanent account number (PAN) allotted under the Income-tax Act, 1961 or such other document as may be notified by the Central Government.”
This means any person holding a PAN card can register for the purchase of agricultural produce. In regard to this, in case any buyer who belongs to another state might disappear after procuring the product. While Indian farmers are a very low-earning community and less educated, they would not be able to track down the people who flee taking their produce, nor they have resources to chase down the buyers.
Most of the farmers were already allowed to sell their produces to markets outside of their states; for example, Punjab distributes tons of potatoes to the other states of India, including Gujrat, Maharashtra, and many others. Similarly, there are hundreds of produces which are sold outside the limited boundaries of a particular state. Why did the Government require to introduce the new law? The answer is clear, Government did not amend the law for the greater good of farmers, but the law was amended to provide better opportunities to the corporate houses of India.
The bill states, “No market fee or cess or levy, by whatever name called, under any State APMC Act or any other State law, shall be levied on any farmer or trader or electronic trading and transaction platform for trade and commerce in scheduled farmers’ produce in a trade area.”
The state APMCs never levied any tax on the farmers, yet it taxed the entity which is purchasing the produce. Most likely the central Government. Same as the previous law, the dispute between farmers and buyers would not be allowed to knock on the doors of court as Sub Divisional Magistrate is the supreme authority to handle the disputes.
As stated in Chapter-V, subsection 15 in the law, “No civil court shall have jurisdiction to entertain any suit or proceedings in respect of any matter, the cognizance of which can be taken and disposed of by any authority empowered by or under this Act or the rules made thereunder.”
History tells that the Indian Government always chose to focus on distractions rather than tackling the actual problem. The whole world is experiencing challenges because of lethal coronavirus. Despite managing to restrict the expansion of COVID-19 in India, Bhartiya Janata Party led-government passed these ‘black laws.’
On 20 September 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced the Farm Bills 2020 as a watershed significance in Indian agriculture, which will empower millions of farmers in India.
On 29 November 2020, PM Modi, in his Mann Ki Baat radio speech, declared that all the political parties had been making promises to the farmers, but now these promises had been fulfilled, setting an illustration of the Maharashtrian farmer whose payments for his corn crop was kept pending by traders for four months. He further stated that under new Farm Laws 2020, all the farmers’ debts must be cleared within three days of acquisition, failing which, the farmer can reside a complaint.
After that day, on 30 November 2020, Prime Minister Modi asserted that the farmers are being cheated on these historic agriculture reform laws by the same people who have deceived them for decades.
He added, “The old system was not replaced; rather new options were added under the Farm Laws 2020 for the farmers.”Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared, These new laws have been made and introduced in the market for the advantage of farmers; they are going to experience the most significant advantage ever.
Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, Narendra Singh Tomar, declared that the Indian Government is authorized to MSP.
On 27 December 2020, Chief Minister of India’s capital, Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, visited Singhu Border and communicated with the protesting farmers. Arvind Kejriwal further questioned that any Union Minister should debate with the protesting farmers to clarify whether the laws are beneficial or harmful.
The Supreme Court heard a plea soliciting immediate removal of farmers from Delhi borders on 11 January 2021, which was filed by law student Rishabh Sharma. A Bench of Chief Justice S A Bobde, Justice A S Bopanna, and Justice V Ramasubramanian heard this petition.
The petition asserted that the commuters are facing hardships due to barriers. Emergency and medical services have been harshly impacted due to the farmers’ agitation.
The petition further affirmed that the farmers should be shifted to a fixed place allotted by the Government and insisted that farmers to protest peacefully at Nirankari ground in Burari.
On 11 January 2021, the Supreme Court stayed the implementation of the three agricultural bills 2020 and formed a four-member committee to make recommendations on the same.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India S. A. Bobde addressed the panel for two months’ time to submit its report for a ‘fair, impartial and just solution’ for this dispute.
Earlier, the Central Government passed these laws without examining the actual outcomes of these agricultural bills. It will practically stimulate growth in the private sector and the public sector, but farmers will face the only disadvantage.
The ones who made this law never understood the possible outcomes of these bills. They didn’t even bother to scrutinize the real potential impacts. They were following a literary language that can’t be implemented in reality. If farmers never opposed these bills, then the entire face of Government would never come in front of us.
The Bhartiya Janata party-led government never understood the laws’ necessary infrastructure, which is Demand and Supply. The demand for this law was never in the market. The supply of crops was never so high that it could be exploited in the market.
The farmers rejected the central Government’s proposal, which states that the State government can levy cess on private mandis. Farmers believe that the origin of private mandis and APMC will drive the agriculture business towards private mandis, ending government markets, intermediary systems, and APMCs.
As a consequence, big corporate houses will overtake markets, thereby obtaining farm produce at incidental rates. The farmers believe that the central Government may delay the procurement (as in the case of paddy), turning the public markets ineffective and irrelevant.
BJP government proposed written assurance for the continuation of the existing MSP. Still, the farmers declined the proposal as they believe that the new Farm Laws 2020 are conducted to dismantle APMCs.
Thus, they are commanding a comprehensive Act on MSP pan India and for all crops. They believe that written insurance from the Union Government is not a legal document and holds no guarantee.
Proposal of Government which states that State Governments to register traders to manage them. This proposal was also refused by the farmers as the new Farm Laws 2020 have no provision to regulate the traders.
According to surveys, as per new Laws, any PAN cardholder can obtain crops from the shops at wishful costs and hoard the farm production. The farmers declared that the Central Government is not ready to take accountability for the ongoing issue as they want the State Governments to regulate the traders and fulfill their responsibilities.
BJP led Government initiated that farmers will have the substitute to approach the court under the contract farming law. Their land will be secure as no loan will be given on farmers’ property and their buildings by hocking it.
The farmers refused the proposal as the history of contract farming has many instances of non-payment by the big companies making various justifications like substandard produce.
Not even this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the new Parliament building’s foundation stone nearly a hundred years after the foundation for the existing Parliament. There is no need to change the Parliament, yet he decided to work on it.
According to reports, this construction will charge as much as capital it can be utilized for various good build-up health cares in India. Farmer’s appeal to demolish farm bill 2020 is ignored by the Government of the nation. According to surveys, creating distraction is a significant feature of the Indian Government.
ATTEMPTS TO SABOTAGE THE PROTEST
The Government of India made several attempts to defame the protest by denoting farmers as terrorists or Khalistanis. Media houses under the Government’s influence pushed the propaganda against farmers to spread hate-mongering against them. However, all the attempts to derail the protest dramatically failed as farmers successfully garnered support not only from India but internationally.
The first meeting between Indian Farmers and Union government:
Round 1: Representatives of 29 farm unions from the Punjab and Indian government sat to resolve their concerns over the new farm laws. But the government adopted double standards with no minister present to hear them out in New Delhi; instead, the government sent Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agarwal.
On this matter, Joginder Singh Ugrahan of the BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) said that at least Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar should have addressed the issue.
Agitating farmers strictly told Agriculture Secretary that this is not an agitation of Punjab farmers alone. “We are trying to resolve the issue peacefully, but attempts are being made to vitiate the atmosphere.” However, the protest brews stronger after dissenting farmers refuse to talk with the secretary-level officer and demands Minister to address the issue.
Round 2: Second round of meeting between Punjab farm unions and Union Ministers Narendra Singh Tomar, Piyush Goyal, and Som Parkash on the Centre’s recent farm laws ended inconclusively.
BKU leader Balbir Singh Rajewal said: “The representatives debated each point. When they (ministers) started speaking about the merits of the Acts, how beneficial they were for the farmers, we told them that it was time that they listened to us.”
Round 3: The third round of talks between farmer outfits, including 32 from Punjab, and Union ministers Narendra Singh Tomar, Piyush Goyal, and Som Parkash ended inconclusively with farmer leaders rejecting the Centre’s proposal to constitute a five-member committee to look into their grievances.
Farm unions told the government that “such panels had failed to yield the desired results in the past” and “that the time for committees was over as they now only wanted concrete action.”
In the meet, various issues related to “farm Acts were discussed in a cordial atmosphere,” officials said. However, Punjab unions rejected the offer of tea during the talks and instead asked the ministers to join them for ‘kheer’ and ‘langar,’ which farmers carried with them from protest sites.
The protesting farmers have expressed apprehension that the Centre’s farm laws would pave the way for dismantling the minimum support price system, leaving them at big corporates’ mercy.
“We are ready for a discussion to resolve their issues. Let’s see,” Agriculture Minister Tomar said after the meeting.
Round 4: Fourth round of talks between three Union ministers and a representative group of thousands of agitating farmers failed to yield any resolution.
Farm leaders strongly demanded the repeal of new farm laws during the meeting and even refused the lunch, tea, and water offered to them during almost eight-hour-long hectic parleys.
Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, who led the government side at the fourth round of talks at Vigyan Bhawan, later said that there is “no ego involved” and the government has agreed to “discuss and consider with an open mind open” all significant points of concerns among the farmers about the three new laws, including on strengthening of the APMC (Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee) mandi system, tax parity with proposed private mandis and freedom for farmers to approach higher courts for any resolution.
The government gave a detailed presentation on the three laws and asserted its intent towards the farmers’ welfare. However, the union leaders rejected the government’s position.
Round 5: Talks between the government and protesting farmers remained inconclusive, even after five rounds of discussions as union leaders stuck to their demand for the repeal of the new farm laws and went on big silence, seeking a clear ‘yes or no’ reply.
After discussions with three Union ministers and senior officials, farmer leaders said the government sought more time for internal consultations to present a final proposal in the next meeting to resolve the issue.
However, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said the government wanted some firm suggestions from the 40 farmer leaders present in the meeting on their key concerns and hoped that a resolution would be reached with their cooperation.
Round 6: The government and farm unions reached some common ground in the sixth round of talks to resolve to protest farmers’ concerns over the rise in power tariff and penalties for stubble burning, but the two sides remained deadlocked over the main contentious issues of the repeal of three farm laws and a legal guarantee for the Minimum Support Price (MSP).
After nearly five hours of the sixth round of negotiations between three Union ministers and a 41-member representative group of thousands of farmers protesting on Delhi borders, agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar said at least 50 percent resolution had been reached with mutual agreement on two out of four items on the agenda and discussions would continue.
Tomar said,” Discussions on the three farm laws and MSP are not complete and will continue in the next round of talks. We are hopeful that consensus would be reached for resolving the two remaining issues also.”
While the three ministers joined the farmer leaders to share their langar (community kitchen) food during the lunch break, the union representatives accepted the government’s beverage during the evening tea break. For the last few meetings, farmer leaders have been arranging their own food and beverages and had so far refused to accept even water offered by the government.
Farmer leaders said the government agreed to their demands for dropping the penal provisions against farmers in an ordinance relating to stubble burning and holding a proposed electricity amendment law. But there was no concrete movement on their main demands for repeal of the three farm laws and a legal guarantee for MSP, union leaders said.
After the meeting, union leader Kalwant Singh Sandhu said Wednesday’s talks mostly focussed on electricity and stubble burning. In contrast, the next meeting on January 4 would focus on the MSP guarantee and the three farm laws. He offered to set up a committee to discuss ways to legalize the MSP and amendments to the three new laws, but we rejected that, he said.
Round 7: The seventh round of talks between farmers’ leaders and union ministers ended inconclusively. The farmer stuck to their demand for the three farm laws’ repeal and legal guarantee on MSP.
Jagmohan Singh Patiala of BKU (Dakaunda) said: “We told the government that there is no alternative. The ministers said they would hold consultations and get back. The next meeting is on January 8. The pressure is on the government as the agitation is now a people’s movement.”
Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said the government, which was aware of the farmers’ concerns, had offered clause wise discussion on the Acts.
Round 8: Protesting farmers and the Centre today failed to resolve the ongoing deadlock over three farm laws, with the eighth round of talks ending inconclusively.
“We will win or die” was the message on the placards representatives of 41 farm unions held at the meeting where they refused to break for lunch, reportedly upset over ministers arriving 40 minutes late for the talks.
Agriculture Minister NS Tomar said after the meeting that no consensus could be reached today as farm unions did not offer any alternatives barring repeal of farm laws. The government categorically ruled out rescinding the legislations with Tomar noting that “many other farm groups nationally are in support of the laws.”
Round 9: The ninth round of talks between the Centre and the protesting farmers over the new farm laws held on at the Vigyan Bhavan concluded with no developments.
The government and the farmers could not reach a resolution before the lunch break.
Narendra Singh Tomar said ahead of the meeting, “The government welcomes the Supreme Court order regarding farmers’ agitation. The government will put forth its views before the committee (appointed by the court). We are trying to resolve the issue through dialogue.”
As the talks started, the Centre reached out to farmers by giving them the option to form a panel with it if they are unhappy with the Supreme Court-appointed committee. The top court suspended the three newly-enacted farm laws and formed a four-member committee to help end the deadlock persisting between the agitating farmers and the Centre.
Leaders of the 40 farmers’ unions negotiating with the government have said they want continued direct communication with the Centre, “not through brokers.” They maintain that they will not appear before the panel, adding that the appointed members were already in favour of farm laws. The meeting witnessed no change in the government’s stance over the repeal of farm laws.
Round 10: The talks between the protesting farmers’ unions and the central government remained deadlocked even in the talks’ 10th round. Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar however, said the talks were held in a “cordial” environment even though there were some “naram-garam” (heated) moments.
During its talks with the farmers’ unions, the central government proposed to suspend the three contentious farm laws for one-and-a-half-year. The government also proposed to set up a joint committee to discuss the farm laws to end the months’-long stalemate.
In its proposal, the central government reportedly said that the new farm laws would remain suspended till the committee gives its report. The government urged farmers’ unions to suspend their agitation till that time. The farmers’ unions refrained from immediately responding to these proposals and said they would convey their decision after having internal consultations. These consultations will be held on Thursday, and the next round of talks with the government are scheduled for Friday.
“The government proposed to suspend the farm laws for one-and-a-half year. We rejected the proposal, but since it has come from the government, we will meet tomorrow and deliberate over it,” Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan) president Joginder Singh Ugrahan was quoted as saying by the news agency.
Round 11: Unlike the last ten rounds of talks, the 11th round could not even decide on the next date for the meeting as the government also hardened its position, saying it is ready to meet again once the unions agree to discuss the suspension proposal. The government’s negotiations with protesting farm unions hit a roadblock.
Farmer leaders said they will intensify their agitation now and alleged that the government’s approach was not right during the meeting.
The two sides sat face to face for less than 30 minutes. In the very beginning, the farmer leaders informed the government that they have decided to reject the government’s proposal in the last round of talks. The three Central ministers, including Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, urged the union representatives to reconsider their stand, after which the two sides went for a lunch break.
After the meeting, Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan) leader Joginder Singh Ugrahan said the discussions have broken down as the unions rejected the government’s proposal.
Continues violations of Human Rights during the protest and ignorance of government gave a wake up call to international leadership. Countries including USA, UK, Canada and many others lambasted the conduct of Indian government during the peaceful protest.
Several leaders from the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and the United States expressed their solidarity with farmers and criticized the Modi government’s handling of the protests.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that his country will always be there to defend the right to peaceful protest. He reached out to the Indian community and expressed concern over the ongoing farmer’s protest in India.
“Let me remind you, Canada will always be there to defend the right of peaceful protest. We believe in the importance of dialogue, and that is why we have reached out through multiple means directly to Indian authorities to highlight our concerns,” he said.
Gurratan Singh, who represents Brampton East in the Ontario provincial parliament of Canada, said, “Farmers are under attack in India. That’s why I’m asking this house to stand with farmers against these unjust laws by the Indian government”.
Leader of Opposition in the Ontario Assembly, Andrea Horwath, said “I Stand With Farmers in India who are protesting peacefully, as well as their loved ones here in Ontario, who are watching the violent crackdown in horror. Everyone deserves to be able to exercise their democratic rights without fear of state-sanctioned violence.”
Despite Canadians, a group of seven American lawmakers — six Democrats and a Republican of the United States raises serious concern on farmer protests by writing a letter to contemporaneous U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
In the letter, they wrote,” “As a nation that is familiar with political protests, we believe that the United States can offer counsel to India during their current period of social disturbance.”
US-based Lantos Human Rights Commission remarks,” As a signatory to the UDHR and state party to the ICCPR and ICESCR, India is obligated to respect the rights to Peaceful Protest and Food. PM Narendra Modi should base response to Farmers Protests in Human Rights.”
Co-Chair of ‘TL human rights’ Rep. Jim McGovern said,” The Indian government should engage in constructive dialogue, not repress peaceful protests. As the world’s largest democracy, India can and must be a leader on Human Rights.”
In Australia, Rob Mitchell, Labour MP from McEwen in Victoria, spoke in the country’s Parliament to support Punjabi farmers. He said: “I join many in our community who are disturbed at the treatment of Punjabi farmers in India and those who fear for their safety while peacefully protesting. I urge the Indian government to show restraint while dealing with protesters.”
Labour MP from Slough and Shadow Rail Minister Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi said, “It takes a special kind of people to feed those ordered to beat and suppress them. I stand with farmers of Punjab and other parts of India, including our family and friends, who are peacefully protesting against the encroaching privatization of Farmers Bill2020.”
Another Labour MP, John McDonnell from Hayes and Harlington, wrote, ” This sort of oppressive behavior against peaceful protesters is unacceptable and tarnishes the reputation of India.”
The spokesperson for UN chief Antonio Guterres and a group of 36 cross-party UK parliamentarians have come out in support of the agitating Indian farmers, saying people have a right to demonstrate peacefully and authorities should let them do so.
“As to the question of India, what I would say to you is what I’ve said to others when raising these issues is that people have a right to demonstrate peacefully, and authorities need to let them do so,” Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, said.
Each person, not just in India but in different countries, is asking only one question: What was the need to pass these three farm laws suddenly?
The Indian government claims these laws would allow the farmers to sell their products in different states. However, when done more profound research, it was found that no Indian law ever stopped these farmers from selling in other states.
In fact, these farmers have been selling their watermelons, vegetables, and fruit all across the country for decades now.
Who truly profits from new farm laws?
Since Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed the Indian government in 2014, things drastically changed for the country. The media- being the fourth pillar of democracy, was taken over by biased opinions. Slowly and steady, things turned upside down, especially for lower-middle-class and middle-class people who make 99 percent of the Indian population.
The government acting tendentiously regarding these farm laws-that are favoring the rich corporates instead of the farmers. Both Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani belong to Gujrat, just like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.
Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani also played a key role in supporting the election campaigns of BJP in 2014 and even 2019. The massive monetary funding comes from the unethical activities they are allowed to do under the shadow of Modi and Shah.
These corporates are fully protected under these three farm laws, while no protection has been provided to the farmers. Even smallest of all, Minimum Support Price is also not guaranteed, which would allow these riches to manipulate the prices and threaten the farmers to sell theirs produces at as lower as possible.
The Indian government created these laws in a manner that the corporate buyers could get the greatest of the benefits as no license would be required to make the purchase; instead, any person could come with a PAN ( Permanent Account Number) and disappear in the dark without being traced.
The farm laws would allow the Ambani and Adani groups to buy produces are low prices and then sell at higher price tags in their massive grocery marts set up across the country.
People are devastated by the treatment these farmers have been receiving.
Known to be extremely vocal on social media regarding other countries’ business, the Indian Prime Minister has been silent on the issues concerning these farmers who are being tortured by the BJP and RSS supporters for opposing the farm laws.
Fact Checks
Adani Agri Logistics Ltd (Owned by Gautam Adani, India’s second-richest person) had incorporated a number of agriculture-oriented companies since 2019. It is surprising how Adani and Ambani were well aware of the farm laws before those were tabled in the Indian Parliament. Nevertheless, the Adani group also constructed a silo with a capacity of 200,000 metric tons in the Moga district of Punjab, which is currently providing a food storage facility to the Food Corporation of India (FCI). Lining up another high capacity silo, the Adani group has purchased land in Faridkot district to construct it for a high volume storage facility.
Similarly, India’s richest person, Mukesh Ambani, openly denounced his involvement in the agriculture sector. In fact, after making such a statement, Ambani owned Reliance Retail Limited officially stated to purchase over 1,000 quintals of Sona Masoori Paddy from farmers in Raichur of Karnataka state for price more than MSP (Minimum Support Price), which is considered as a deliberate action to lure farmers into the trap.
There is no doubt that new farm reforms were tabled to support ‘Corporates,’ not farmers. There were significant violations of global Human Rights during the agitations of protesting farmers’ march towards national capital, which is termed as “Rebellion against tyranny and oppression.”
BJP Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar directed Haryana police to use force and used water cannons, tear gas to halt the protest from reaching the national capital, which violates article 3, 5, and 13 of the Human Rights declaration (Article 3 – Right to life, liberty and the security of person. Article 5 – Degrading Treatment. Article 13 – Right to Freedom of Movement).
Indian Media made a third violation of the Human Rights declaration by labeling farmers as terrorists. Article 12 of the declaration states that “No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attack upon his honor and reputation.”
Another primary concern in this protest is the passing of over 100 people who died during agitation at the New Delhi border area due to excessively cold weather.
The Supreme court’s intervention in the matter has come up as a ray of hope. However, farmers claim that the apex Indian court has set up a committee consisting of biased people favoring these three farm laws that endanger these small farmers’ rights on their lands.
Even international journalists are now talking about the jeopardy that the Indian government has placed itself in favoring these farm laws, resulting in political damage. The situation is being compared to the condition with conservative UK PM Margaret Thatcher’s deregulation programme in the 1980s and how her own party members overthrew her in 1990.
India holds the record of being the world’s biggest Democracy, and it is also a nation to have the largest constitution in the world with over 145,000 words in it.
As per India’s constitution, protesting is legal under Article 19(1)(a) that elucidates the right to free speech and expression. It entails that every person has the right to express their personal opinions.
Similarly, without being unlawful, on the 26 January 2021- India’s 72nd Republic Day, the farmers planned the world’s biggest tractor rally with over 500,000 tractors to move across different routes in Delhi for 72-hours as a demonstration against the “three farm laws.”
An attempt to sabotage the protest
The tractor rally was scheduled to start at around 9 am, the same time when the Indian politicians, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was to hoist the Indian flag on the “National Republic Day Prade” at Rajpath, New Delhi.
While farmers in thousands of numbers peaceful conducted tractor rallies on the routes that were assigned to them by the Delhi Police, a few hundred choose to divert the routes and enter the capital city Delhi.
The people who opposed the farm leaders’ decisions were being led by a pro-BJP and RSS secret cell Deep Sidhu. Who is also a close ally to ruling BJP’s Member of Parliament from Gurdaspur- Sunny Deol.
Deep Sidhu, who played a key role in Sunny Deol’s election campaign in an astonishing turn of events, was soon declared to be “not known” by him. Sidhu appeared as a bullet shot down by the Indian government as their last attempt to sabotage the farmer’s protest, which has been going on for months now. Under Sidhu’s supervision, some people moved ahead to the Red Fort and hoisted Sikhism and Farming organizations’ flag on an empty pole just below the Indian Flag.
However, the incident left thousands of Indians startled on how the protestors entered the Red Fort. It was astounding for many to see why the prestigious place was without any security guards on “Republic Day” while it is often very well protected even on regular days.
Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which is responsible for the Red Fort’s security, was nowhere to be seen when the demonstrators entered the Red Fort. It was unusual, as the forces are always well-protecting the place even on regular days.
Many believe this was a well-organized plan by the government, and these protestors were willingly routed towards the Red Fort to create chaos and media outrage against the protests. There was no security present at the entry and exit of the fort for over two-three hours while the entire capital city was under extreme deployment of police to control the situation. The security forces only arrived after the flag was hoisted at the Red Fort just below the Indian Flag.
Immediately after the incident, the “mainstream right-wing” media started to play a part and it broadcasted “fake news” claiming destruction to the “Indian Flag.” However, while in reality, the Indian Tri-colour Flag remained on its place while the Farmer Union and a Religion’s flags were hoisted just below it.
The Big Conspiracy Theory
All farmers’ unions were set to take out the tractor parade at 9 am in the morning of January 26; the unions deployed over 15,000 volunteers to control and regulate the protest. It was way too challenging to provoke the protestors. According to a theory, the Home Minister of India, Amit Shah (Known as political mastermind), conducts a meeting with security officials, including police and special forces, a day before the tractor rally. The panel decides how to trigger the farmers to derail the protest towards Red Fort and defame the whole farmers’ community.
Firstly, police halts the protest from moving till the Republic Day Parade is over (likely till noon). Initially, it was decided with Delhi Police and farmers’ consent that there would be a parallel parade. Which brews anger in the farmers, and some hot minded people start to break the barricading. Secondly, several people, including Deep Singh, Lakha Sidhana, Satnam Singh Pannu, and Sarwan Singh Pandher, influenced people to reach out to the Red Fort and hoist the flag. Finally, on the third step, unofficially government-owned media houses stressed the feet of a threat to national integrity.
During the protest, there were no incidents of violence against any citizen of New Delhi. No reports show that even a single shop or mall has been looted by the protestors. The whole image that the media shows during the Red Fort event was a reaction to what police did to the protestors, from canning to tear gas attacks.
There were about a million farmers peacefully protesting on the roads which were designated for them to protest. Yet, the local media dug a deep hole to gag people’s voices and made a nefarious attempt to defame the protest.
Government attempts to suppress farmers
Delhi police issued lookout notices against most of the farm union leaders and barged military forces at the campsites to decamp the protesting farmers. The government has already restricted the internet in the areas and now farmers are also suffering from electricity and water outage at the camps.
Some goons allegedly hired by the ruling party also attacked the farmers’ campsites, leaving several people severely injured. Stone pelting people continuously rhymed national slogan as police forces kept standing right next to them as if they were ordered to stay put.
Several unanswered questions
A video of a police officer without a name badge was surfaced later on. The police officer was present at the occurrence where these farmers were brutally beaten. Some people later revealed that the official and many others like him were not having name badges as they were not even “actual police” but a bunch of RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, abbreviated as RSS, is an Indian right-wing, Hindu nationalist, paramilitary volunteer organization) and BJP supporters that came up to ruin the peaceful protests.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was disheartened by violence at the Capitol Building in the United States of America, has been quiet about how the Indian government is violating human rights in its own country.
This does not end here; on Friday, 29 January 2021- Hundreds of masked men with police support attacked these peaceful protestors on various protest sites, including Singh Border. The acts of brutality and conspiracy to end the demonstrations are lethal and heart-wrenching. The Indian government’s take on these farm laws remains stir. Their stubbornness is leaving a black spot on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The government is making no attempts to repeal the farm laws; instead, it makes efforts to repress all the voices raising a sound alarm on the massive violation of fundamental and human rights in India.
PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI-LED INDIAN GOVERNMENT TO FAVOUR FEW CORPORATE HOUSES IS READY TO SELL OFF THE WHOLE FARMERS COMMUNITY. DIRE VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHT WOULD NOT BE TOLERATED AT ANY COST, AND INTERNATIONAL LEADERSHIP WOULD SOON ISSUE A CIRCULAR TO HALT THE INHUMANE ACTIONS BY THE GOVERNMENT.
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