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FARMERS' PROTESTS GET INTENSIFIED

Young Bites. Dated: 12/1/2020 12:36:36 PM

T K NANDANAN The other day Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation through his monthly radio program ‘Mann Ki Baat’ and spoke about the various issues including farm laws. Referring to farm laws, Modi said, “New farm laws have opened new doors of opportunity and benefits for farmers. Awareness is the key to progress in life.” Modi also said, “Don’t be carried away by rumors, be aware.” According to the Prime Minister the new farm laws are profarmers and not anti-farmers as being rumored. But the fact that farmers are agitating relentlessly against the anti-farm laws enacted by the Modi government. Aren’t there gray areas in the farm laws which are affecting the farmers adversely? The wearer alone knows where the shoe pinches. Likewise, only the farmers know their own problems. Admittedly, there are gray areas in the new farm laws; and to the Central government which enacted these laws can be sweet pills to swallow comfortably, but to the farmers these laws are indeed sugar-coated bitter pills. Meanwhile, BJP has accused the Congress and its former ally, the Shironami Akali Dal of propping up the ongoing farmers’ protests. BJP national general secretary B L Santhosh said in a tweet, “It has become a lion’s ride for Punjab Chief Minister, Capt.Amarinder Singh and the Akali Dal. They propped up the farmers’ protest which took a different color later. Now the lion doesn’t listen to them nor can they disembark. They will rue their misdeeds for a very long time.” However, it is to be understood that the right to hold a protest is intrinsic to a democratic society and therefore the farmers must be fully justified in opposing the new Acts, which have the potential to undercut the prices of their produce. It may be pertinent to note that the Centre passed the farm laws promising relief to farmers that they would get better prices by cutting out middlemen and improving marketing efficiencies. The new laws give farmers freedom to sell their produce anywhere in India. But the Opposition parties’ claim for freedom to sell would mean the end of government procurement at Minimum Support Prices. Besides, the government has not committed in writing that it will procure agricultural produce at MSPs. The new farm laws have not addressed the genuine concerns of the farmers; and by converting the farm sector into pure laissez faire marketing, the Centre has pushed farmers into an unsecure world wherein the dreams of farmers are sure to be shattered. Sadly, our economy has not grown to such a level where the farmers can risk themselves for gaining huge profit for their produce. Moreover, during this Covidian era, farmers are facing a lot of hardships and they still toil hard to till the land to grow wheat and other cereals. The BJP’s claim that some of our neighbours are creating unrest in India by infiltrating the farmers’ associations and misusing farmers to further their interests is to be taken note of and nobody should be allowed to fish in the troubled waters. Anyway, genuine demands of farmers must be accepted at any cost.