EXPLANATION: Why Indian farmers are revolting against PM Modi
By SHEIKH SAALIQ
NEW DELHI (AP) – A sea of tens of thousands of farmers on tractors and horses stormed India’s historic Red Fort this week – a dramatic escalation of their protests, which pose a major challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.
The AP explains what is at the heart of two months of demonstrations and what it means for Modi’s government.
WHO PROTEST?
Most of the protesters are farmers from the northern states of Punjab and Haryana, the two largest agricultural producers. They are demanding the repeal of the laws passed by parliament in September that they believe will favor large businesses, destroy the incomes of many farmers, and leave those who own small plots of land behind as big businesses win. Modi has taken into account the laws necessary to modernize Indian agriculture.
Due to Punjab and Haryana’s demographics, many of the protesters in New Delhi happen to be from the Indian Sikh religion, although their grievances are rooted in economic issues, not religious ones. Protests are also taking place among Indians of different backgrounds in other parts of the country.
Non-farmers have also joined in recent weeks, and protests accelerated in November when farmers attempted to march into New Delhi but were stopped by police. They have since vowed to settle on the outskirts of the city until the laws are repealed.
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WHAT ARE THEIR CONCERNS?
At the heart of these protests is Indian farmers’ fears that the government’s measures to implement market reforms in the agricultural sector will make them poorer – at a time when they are already frustrated with their waning power as the government strives to Making India a hub. for global businesses.
The new legislation isn’t clear on whether the government will continue to guarantee prices for certain essential crops – a system put in place in the 1960s to help India replenish its food reserves and avoid shortages.
Although the government has committed to pledge that the guaranteed prices will continue, farmers are skeptical and want new legislation that says such prices are their legal right.
Farmers also fear that the legislation is a signal that the government is moving away from a system where a vast majority of farmers sell only to government-sanctioned marketplaces. They fear that this will put them at the mercy of companies that are no longer legally obliged to pay them the guaranteed price.
The government states that this is to give farmers more choice to whom they want to sell their products.
Clauses in the law also prevent farmers from taking contract disputes to court, leaving them with no independent means of redress apart from government-appointed bureaucrats.
These perceived threats to their income frighten Indian farmers, who are mostly smallholders: as many as 68% of them own less than 1 hectare of land. In some states, farming families earn an average of just 20,000 rupees ($ 271) per year. ___
WHY ARE THESE PROTESTS IMPORTANT?
Farmers are the most influential voting bloc in India – and are often romanticized as the heart and soul of the nation.
Politicians have long thought it unwise to alienate them, and farmers are also very important to Modi’s base. Northern Haryana and some other states with a significant farming population are ruled by his party.
Since the legislation was passed, Modi’s government has lost two political alliance partners and some of his own leaders are warning him to proceed with caution.
The protests against Modi’s government are the biggest since he first came to power in 2014. They come at a time when the country’s economy has tanked, social struggles have intensified, protests have erupted against laws that some consider Consider discriminatory and the government has been questioned. his response to the coronavirus pandemic.
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WHAT DOES THE GOVERNMENT SAY?
Modi’s government says the legislation will benefit farmers by boosting production through private investment.
The government has offered to change the laws and suspend their implementation for 18 months – but that has not satisfied farmers who want a full repeal.
Modi’s government also initially sought to discredit Sikh farmers by rejecting their concerns as motivated by religious nationalism. Some leaders in Modi’s party called them “Khalistanis”, a reference to a movement for an independent Sikh homeland called “Khalistan” in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Under Modi, India has seen a rising wave of Hindu nationalism that has plagued minority groups, mainly Muslims. Some leaders of Modi’s party and India’s free TV channels, who have long favored the government’s Hindu nationalist policies, have called the peasants ‘anti-national’, a label often given to those who criticize Modi or his policies.
But such allegations seem to have backfired and further angered the farmers, whose relatives serve extensively in the Indian military, police and civil service. Since then, ordinary citizens have also joined them and the protests have gained momentum.
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WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR MODES?
While this is a major challenge to his administration, Modi’s popularity is still on the rise and his approval scores remain high due to his Hindu nationalist policies.
Many agricultural experts agree that India’s agricultural sector needs reform, but they question the way Modi’s government has enacted the laws and the involvement of the business community in farming.
“Leaving farmers at the mercy of the markets would be a death sentence for them,” said Devinder Sharma, an agricultural expert who has campaigned for income equality for Indian farmers for the past two decades. “We’re talking about people who feed us.”
Critics also stress what they see as the tendency of Modi’s government to push through reforms without reaching consensus. When the laws were passed in parliament, Modi’s party refused to broaden the debate on them, despite repeated requests from the opposition. It also denied referring the laws to a special committee where members could discuss them further.