Farmers across the country went into a protest, shutting mandis, closing markets and keeping their date with the Bharat bandh and raising fists of fury over new farm laws on Tuesday. The farmer firepower spread across over 10,000 places across the nation conveyed a strong message to the Narendra Modi government that the community is not ready to accept the new laws at any cost.
And while the fierce agitation reached its crescendo, political parties across the spectrum reaped a rich harvest targetting the Narendra Modi government. The politicising of the issue was so evident that almost every political party jumped the bandwagon, with a clear political agenda in mind. The jostle to find relevance during this burning issue has seen parties, unions, transporters, traders, federations and councils coming in support of the agitating farmers.
Interestingly, it is against this magnitude and intensity that the government was forced to blink. A breakthrough of sorts was achieved when Home Minister Amit Shah, for the very first time, decided to intervene. Government's significant outreach at this point of directly engaging the union leaders with a promise to amend the laws to guarantee MSP will certainly not calm the storm. Still, it goes to show that the Centre is ready for a compromise. The sixth round of talks between union ministers and farmer leaders is scheduled for Wednesday.
That brings forth a straightforward argument. Why did the government stick to its ego and not hear out or make attempts to understand the farmer? Why was this issue allowed to fester by putting the farmer's power to the test? If there were adjustments that could have been made in the form of amendments. There were five other meetings where confidence-building measures could have been initiated. Farmers needed guarantees on MSP. They wanted assurances written in the book of the law, not verbal promises. All along, the rigidity of the government was visible. Serious engagement was needed rather than testing the might of the farmers. The outreach is only a belated attempt to salvage the situation which is snowballing into a major national issue.
Now here is a catch-22 situation, because bringing an amendment to accommodate farmers and guarantee the MSP would mean that the basic reasoning behind the laws will collapse. The fundamental rationale is problematic and which is why the farmers are steadfast in their demand of repealing the laws and seeking either a 'yes' or 'no' from Amit Shah.
The Modi government fails to learn lessons from the past and persists with its autocratic regime. Legislations have been brought in affecting crores of citizens without necessary discourse. People have been forced on to the streets, defending their fundamental rights. The street power of the farmer community has been overwhelming, and this is probably the single reason behind forcing Amit Shah to the negotiating table.
