Skip to main content

Modi withdrew farm laws, but has no word on 'pro-corporate, oppressive' policies

Farmers celebrate withdrawal of three laws
By Harsh Thakor 
Punjab farmers have no doubt won a historic battle in overpowering the farm laws with the support of the working class, students, youth and intellectuals. Noticeably, the non-sectarian approach of the participating organisations, which confronted Hindutva neo-fascism, Sikh separatist politics and Indian and foreign corporate monopoly, helped in enhancing their striking capacity.
The Bharatiya Kisan Union BKU (Ugrahan) particularly played a pivotal role in intensifying the struggle at the Tikri border. It worked in coordination with the Kirti Kisan Union, the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Dakaunda), the Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union, the Pendu Mazdoor Union, the Punjab Students Union (Shaheed Randhawa), the Punjab Students Union (New Democracy Group) and the Naujwan Bharat Sabha.
The farmers’ agitation stood in sharp contrast to the assessment of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) that the their agitations would not prolong beyond November 2020. PMO thought the agitation would retreat when the paddy harvest begins. The mass organisations, however, ensured that the movement would proceed on a secular road and no political party would be allowed to utilise their platforms. The secular thrust of the movement propelled the victory. Even during the peak of the paddy harvest, the movement was not withdrawn.
However, the struggle is far from over. The ruling BJP continues to patronise the corporates. Prime Minister Narendra Modi withdrew the agricultural laws keeping an eye on the upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh. The roots of socio-economic oppression and pro-corporate economic policies remain part and parcel of the government’s policies.
The demands to legalise the minimum support price (MSP) and scrap the draft electricity amendment Bill haven’t been met. MSP is directly linked with the public distribution system (PDS). Poor and marginal farmers do not have access to institutional credit. They are dependent on private money lenders. Only a definite economic programme, including land reforms, would address these issues.
The Prime Minister had tried to make out that it was a movement only of rich farmers. However, the fact is, only a small layer of rich farmers have been involved in the protests. Recently, a Punjab University academic did a survey and found that all the farmers who died during the protests had a land holding of up to three acres. None of the group of 750 martyrs constituted a rich farmer.
No doubt, the unity of the farmers continued against all odds. Yet, an important factor that been ignored is that of caste. The rural Dalit labour community remains marginalised. There is a lurking gap between the demands of the landed at Jat farmers and the Dalit agricultural labourers. There is little integration of the upper caste landed farmers with the Dalit agricultural workers.
Reacting to Modi's announcement regarding the repeal of agricultural laws in the coming session of the parliament, the BKU (Ugrahan) termed it a victory of the “determined peasant struggle”, but stressed upon the need to remain vigilant.
In a statement issued to media, Joginder Singh Ugrahan and Sukhdev Singh Kokri Kalan, president and general secretary, respectively, said that the Modi government had to bow before the historic and unprecedented peasant struggle, but still it has not affected any change in its policies designed for the infiltration of the corporates in the agrarian sector.
A survey said, all the farmers who died during protests had land holding of up to 3 acres. None of the 750 martyrs constituted a rich farmer
It is yet to be watched whether the Modi government tries to deviously feed the corporate interests, they said. Besides these laws, the issues of MSP, PDS and electricity Bill are pending even now. Whereas Modi has only talked about MSP, the demand of the farmers is to have all the crops procured at the MSP by the government as a legal right.
They emphasised that PDS and the procurement of the crops at MSP are not independent of each other, instead these are interlinked. PDS is a major issue for the poor working class consumers. In this context, MSP and PDS constitute a single set of demands which can guarantee the interests, both of the farmers and the consumers.
Besides these demands, they emphasised on punishment to the culprits of Lakhimpur Kheri killings, action against officials and political leaders of Haryana responsible for oppressing farmers, and withdrawal of cases registered against them during this movement. These demands still remain unresolved. Modi’s announcement does not even touch upon these.
The Gurpurab of Guru Nanak Dev was observed at the Tikri Border and dozens of struggle sites in Punjab. The news of the bowing down of the Modi government on that day brightened the celebrations of Gurpurab. The speakers on different morcha sites spoke highly of the voice raised by Baba Nanak against social evils and state's oppression. They called upon people to clearly identify today's “Babars and Malik Bhagos”, i.e. ruler-corporates alliance.

Comments

TRENDING

Insider plot to kill Deendayal Upadhyay? What RSS pracharak Balraj Madhok said

By Shamsul Islam*  Balraj Madhok's died on May 2, 2016 ending an era of old guards of Hindutva politics. A senior RSS pracharak till his death was paid handsome tributes by the RSS leaders including PM Modi, himself a senior pracharak, for being a "stalwart leader of Jan Sangh. Balraj Madhok ji's ideological commitment was strong and clarity of thought immense. He was selflessly devoted to the nation and society. I had the good fortune of interacting with Balraj Madhok ji on many occasions". The RSS also issued a formal condolence message signed by the Supremo Mohan Bhagwat on behalf of all swayamsevaks, referring to his contribution of commitment to nation and society. He was a leading RSS pracharak on whom his organization relied for initiating prominent Hindutva projects. But today nobody in the RSS-BJP top hierarchy remembers/talks about Madhok as he was an insider chronicler of the immense degeneration which was spreading as an epidemic in the high echelons of th

Central pollution watchdog sees red in Union ministry labelling waste to energy green

By Chythenyen Devika Kulasekaran*  “Destructors”, “incinerators” and “waste-to-energy (WTE) incineration” all mean the same thing – indiscriminate burning of garbage! Having a history of about one and a half centuries, WTE incinerators have seen several reboots over the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. 

First-of-its-kind? 'Eco-friendly, low cost' sewage treatment system installed in Gujarat

Counterview Desk Following the installation of the Unconventional Decentralized Multi-Stage Reactor (UDMSR) for sewage treatment, a note on what is claimed to be the  first-of-its-kind technology said, the treated sewage from this system “can be directly utilized for agricultural purposes”, even as proving to be a “saviour in the times of water crisis.”

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah*   The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. 

Indo-Bangla border: Farmers facing 'illegal obstacles' in harvesting, transporting yields

  Counterview Desk  In a representation to the chairperson, National Human Rights Commission, human rights defender Kirity Roy, who is secretary, Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), has said that Border Security Force (BSF) personnel are creating "illegal obstacles" for farmers seeking to harvest their ripened yields and transport them to the market in village Jhaukuthi of Cooch Behar district.

'Flawed' argument: Gandhi had minimal role, naval mutinies alone led to Independence

Counterview Desk Reacting to a Counterview  story , "Rewiring history? Bose, not Gandhi, was real Father of Nation: British PM Attlee 'cited'" (January 26, 2016), an avid reader has forwarded  reaction  in the form of a  link , which carries the article "Did Atlee say Gandhi had minimal role in Independence? #FactCheck", published in the site satyagrahis.in. The satyagraha.in article seeks to debunk the view, reported in the Counterview story, taken by retired army officer GD Bakshi in his book, “Bose: An Indian Samurai”, which claims that Gandhiji had a minimal role to play in India's freedom struggle, and that it was Netaji who played the crucial role. We reproduce the satyagraha.in article here. Text: Nowadays it is said by many MK Gandhi critics that Clement Atlee made a statement in which he said Gandhi has ‘minimal’ role in India's independence and gave credit to naval mutinies and with this statement, they concluded the whole freedom struggle.

Wasteland, a colonial legacy, being used to 'give away' vast tracts to Ratnagiri refinery

By Fouziya Tehzeeb* William D’Souza, a 55-year old farmer from Kuthethur, Mangalore, was busy mixing cattle feed when we arrived at his doorsteps. Around 25 km from the bustling city of Mangalore, Kuthethur is a lush green village with thick vegetation. On the way to William’s house the idyllic view gets blocked by the flares and smoke arising from the Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL).

CAA disregards India's inclusive plural ethos, 'betrays' ideals of freedom struggle: PUCL

Counterview Desk    "Outraged" at the move of the Central government to implement the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 (CAA 2019) weeks before the election, the top rights group, People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), has demanded that the law be repealed. 

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Invincible, Modi 'taller' than BJP, RSS: An opportunity for Congress beyond 2024?

By NS Venkataraman*  With the announcement of poll schedule for the 2024 parliamentary election, there is palpable excitement and expectation amongst the countrymen  about the shape of things to happen in India after the  results of the election would be announced. There is also speculation abroad about the future course of developments in India.