Holding militant rallies across Punjab, farmers 'forced' Prime Minister to retreat to Delhi

By Harsh Thakor*
The farmers' spirit, elevated and reverberated at a boiling point in Ferozpur like a spark turning into a prairie fire, appears to be behind Prime Minister Narinder Modi having being compelled to retreat to Delhi due to a virtually boycotted pandal. Demonstrations held just ahead of Modi's visit, especially in Firozpur, seemed to have already created tremors in the belly of the ruling party.
The speakers at these demonstrations summed up how BJP policies were bent on giving a blow to the economy in every sphere and destroy the fabric of democracy. They persuaded the farmers not to bear any illusions on the promises of the rulers and never derail from the path of struggle. Demonstrations were held in 16 districts and 17 cities. There were blockades and sit-ins. Farmer organizations protested Modi's rally in their respective areas.
Near Ferozpur, the Kisaan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee came up with the biggest mobilization, while other organizations such as Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) Krantikari, BKU Ekta Ugrahan, Kirti Kisan Union, Punjab Kisan Union, BKU Dakonda held huge rallies in their strongholds. The buses (which were mostly empty anyway) which were moving to Firozpur were forced to go back.
Various agricultural and rural labourers' organizations such as the Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union and the Krantikari Pendu Mazdoor Union also participated in state-wide demonstrations in their own respective areas. Most of these demonstrations took place on January 5.
Earlier, senior leaders of the Krantikari Kisan Union, Azad Kisan Committee Doaba, Jai Kisan Andolan, BKU (Sidhupur), Kisan Sangharsh Committee Kotbudha, Lok Bhalai Welfare Society, BKU Krantikari, Dasuha Ganna Committee and others, held a meeting in Barnala and announced protests to be held in villages and district headquarters across the State opposing Modi's visit.
Volunteers held huge effigy burning programmes amidst rain, creating effect of lightning, raising the slogan 'Modi Go Back'. They termed their event as a kind of vengeance towards the Prime Minister, who ignored farmers for one and a half years, leading to the death of more than 700 farmers and farm labourers.
Farmer leader Sukhdev Singh Kokri Kalan, through a press statement, stated that the cause of such a huge protests was, while on one hand the government was refusing to file the case of murder in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident and was showing no sign of removing Ajay Mishra Taini as Union minister, local farmer leaders were being huddled in jails.
It urged the government to waive of all kinds of government and non-government loans on farmers and farm workers, adding there is strong resentment because of the non-implementation of Swaminathan Commission report for price fixation of crops, and two crore jobs annually as promised in the election manifesto.
Farmer leaders alleged that the Modi government is not only conspiring to reinforce the black laws but is also selling public property and the natural resources of the country to the lap of Indian and foreign corporates. During his visit to Punjab, Modi was seeking to hoodwink people with false assurances.

Volunteers held huge effigy burning programmes amidst rain, creating effect of lightning, raising the slogan Modi Go Back

The fact of the matter is, they said, burning issues like minimum support price (MSP), public distribution system, fuel oil prices, selling of public establishments, release of the human rights activists and such other public interest issues connected with life and liberty of the masses were not being addressed, even as the government was patronising the Indian corporates and MNCs.
The demonstrators took place despite a very significant polarisation between farmer organisations which had come together under the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) from on the issue what stand they should take in state elections in Punjab. A big chunk insisted on fighting polls, while others said it was not their job.
BKU (Ugrahan) insisted that their platform cannot be turned into a forum of the ruling class parties and under no condition would support any candidate. On the other hand, the BKU (Rajewal) appeared to support Sikh politics by becoming part and parcel of electoral politics. Following a meeting with several farmer leaders, Balbir Singh Rajewal announced the decision to contest the elections on all 117 Assembly seats.
Though leaders claimed they would not join hands with any other party, sources amongst the farmer leaders as well as the Aam Aadmi Party said alliances were being worked out by chalking out a common minimum programme.
Of the 32 unions part of the SKM, nine — Krantikari Kisan Union (Dr Darshan Pal), BKU Krantikari (Surjit Phool), BKU Sidhupur (Jagjit Dallewal), Azad Kisan Committee Doaba (Harpal Sangha), Jai Kisan Andolan (Gurbakhsh Barnala), Dasuha Ganna Sangharsh Committee (Sukhpal Daffar), Kisan Sangharsh Committee Punjab (Inderjit Kotbudha), Lok Bhalai Insaaf Welfare Society (Baldev Sirsa) and Kirti Kisan Union Punjab (Hardev Sandhu) — declared not to be part of any political front.
---
Freelance journalist based in Mumbai, who toured India Punjab duing farmers' agitation

Comments

. said…

Kisan mazdoor Sangharsh Committee Punjab Zindabad - Sarwan Singh Pandher Zindabad - ModiSarkar Murdabad

January 09, 2022

Modi’s Israel visit strengthened Pakistan’s hand in US–Iran truce: Ex-Indian diplomat

By Jag Jivan M. K. Bhadrakumar , a career diplomat with three decades of service in postings across the former Soviet Union, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Germany, and Turkey, has warned that the current truce in the US–Iran war is “fragile and ridden with contradictions.” Writing in his blog India Punchline , Bhadrakumar argues that while Pakistan has emerged as a surprising broker of dialogue, the durability of the ceasefire remains uncertain.

Incarceration of Prof Saibaba 'revives' the question: What is crime, who is criminal?

By Kunal Pant* In 2016, a Supreme Court Judge asked the state of Maharashtra, “Do you want to extract a pound of flesh?” The statement was directed against the state for contesting the bail plea of Delhi University Professor GN Saibaba. Saibaba was arrested in 2014, a justification for which was to prevent him from committing what the police called “anti-national activities.”

Why Indo-Pak relations have been on 'knife’s edge' , hostilities may remain for long

By Utkarsh Bajpai* The past few decades have seen strides being made in all aspects of life – from sticks and stones to weaponry. The extreme case of this phenomenon has been nuclear weapons. The menace caused by nuclear weapons in the past is unforgettable. Images of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from 1945 come to mind, after the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the cities.

Food security? Gujarat govt puts more than 5 lakh ration cards in the 'silent' category

By Pankti Jog* A new statistical report uploaded by the Gujarat government on the national food security portal shows that ensuring food security for the marginalized community is still not a priority of the state. The statistical report, uploaded on December 24, highlights many weaknesses in implementing the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in state.

Manufacturing, services: India's low-skill, middle-skill labour remains underemployed

By Francis Kuriakose* The Indian economy was in a state of deceleration well before Covid-19 made its impact in early 2020. This can be inferred from the declining trends of four important macroeconomic variables that indicate the health of the economy in the last quarter of 2019.

The soundtrack of resistance: How 'Sada Sada Ya Nabi' is fueling the Iran war

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* The Persian track “ Sada Sada Ya Nabi ye ” by Hossein Sotoodeh has taken the world by storm. This viral media has cut across linguistic barriers to achieve cult status, reaching over 10 million views. The electrifying music and passionate rendition by the Iranian singer have resonated across the globe, particularly as the high-intensity military conflict involving Iran entered its second month in March 2026.

Lata Mangeshkar, a Dalit from Devdasi family, 'refused to sing a song' about Ambedkar

By Pramod Ranjan* An artist is known and respected for her art. But she is equally, or even more so known and respected for her social concerns. An artist's social concerns or in other words, her worldview, give a direction and purpose to her art. History remembers only such artists whose social concerns are deep, reasoned and of durable importance. Lata Mangeshkar (28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022) was a celebrated playback singer of the Hindi film industry. She was the uncrowned queen of Indian music for over seven decades. Her popularity was unmatched. Her songs were heard and admired not only in India but also in Pakistan, Bangladesh and many other South Asian countries. In this article, we will focus on her social concerns. Lata lived for 92 long years. Music ran in her blood. Her father also belonged to the world of music. Her two sisters, Asha Bhonsle and Usha Mangeshkar, are well-known singers. Lata might have been born in Indore but the blood of a famous Devdasi family...

'Batteries now cheap enough for solar to meet India's 90% demand': Expert quotes Ember study

By A Representative Shankar Sharma, Power & Climate Policy Analyst, has urged India’s top policymakers to reconsider the financial and ecological implications of the country’s energy transition strategy in light of recent global developments. In a letter dated April 10, 2026, addressed to the Union Ministers of Finance, Power, New & Renewable Energy, Environment, Forest & Climate Change, and the Vice Chair of NITI Aayog, with a copy to the Prime Minister, Sharma highlighted concerns over India’s ambitious plans for coal gasification and the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR).

Labour unrest in Manesar trigger tensions: Recently enacted labour codes blamed

By A Representative A civil rights coalition has expressed concern over recent developments in the industrial hub of Manesar in Haryana, where a series of labour actions and police responses have drawn attention. A statement, released by the Campaign Against State Repression (CASR), said it stood in solidarity with workers in IMT Manesar and other parts of the country, while also alleging instances of police excess during ongoing unrest.

Search This Blog