We know about the farmers agitation going on in India for almost three months, against three new farm laws brought in, to reform farming in India by government in September,2020. It is so ironic that these are the same reforms and laws that were pending for last many years and successive governments failed to implement them despite of having these reforms in their manifestos, every election.

The bigger irony is that majority of the agitating farmer leaders and political leaders, who are leading this agitation, hailed these reforms when the new laws were brought in, just before the agitation started in November,2020. Now, this is precisely the point which puts the very intent of this agitation in doubt that what made now the same people go against it. Two opposition parties led states of Delhi and Punjab were first to implement these new laws in their states, are now opposing it. In fact, Punjab is the state where the agitation started, and it is such a dirty game of politics which goes beyond the understanding of a common man. So now the issue is, what precisely is the flaw in these laws that drives the farmers to a no return point. The government invited different stake holders for several round of talks and asked them to precisely pinpoint the flaws, so government can rethink over it and make necessary changes. The unions and representative of other parties failed to do that and only kept demanding to repeal the new laws saying that they just do not want them. What they do not want to understand is that there is nothing mandatory for farmers in these laws, it only provides them a few extra options to sell their produce.

The government also offered all possible options to resolve the issue, like to defer the implementation of new laws for 1.5 years and in the meantime constitute a committee of farmer unions, farming experts and government representatives to review these laws. Government also offered the agitators to give assurance in writing about MSP or guarantee that ‘Mandis’ will not be shut down, but the farmers unions rejected government proposals outright and said nothing less than repealing of the new laws is acceptable to them. Now this not the way governments run anywhere in the world. We have a democratically elected government in India, which has the mandate of its people to make the necessary laws required for the betterment of the country and its people. If some people or the opposition parties do not agree with anything, they should either oppose it on the floor of parliament or should get the people’s mandate for it. No one can take the country or its people for ransom for their demands. In a democracy everyone has right to protest but not by putting others in trouble or taking away other people’s rights.

As mentioned in my earlier write ups, the real motive of this agitation is not the farmer bills but something else, which has now slowly started exposing. There are several anti-India forces in many countries of the world who cannot see India rising and making a mark on the world map. These countries, in collaboration with some anti-India forces created this movement in the name of farmers agitation to destabilise and defame Indian government. Some other vested interests and enemy countries also joined hands with the agitation but they all got exposed when the tweet of a so-called environmental activist accidently made the whole world know about the sinister plans of these forces. The investigations are still underway, and a lot of secrets will be revealed in coming days.

Those opposing the farm bills should find some time to read and understand them first before making an opinion and rest assured, you may end up finding them to be the most revolutionary steps taken for farmers welfare and upliftment by any government in independent India. – Yugal Parashar