The Guise of Genuity is off the Farmers Protests

 

Bandhs and Chakka jams have become new norm in India in the recent past. Even as Brinda Karat, berates Modi government doesn’t understand D of Democracy and peddles the trope of fascism, the unending season of Bandhs continues to exemplify a flourishing democratic fabric of the country. The call for pan-India bandhs against legislations passed by the democratically elected representatives has become more pronounced in the recent past.

Amid the unceasing efforts to bring the nation to its knees on some pretext or the other, people are bucking the trend and moving on as if it’s business as usual. The recently concluded All India Bandh the Farmers for repealing of the new farm bills which elicited a lukewarm response has clearly mirrored this emergent phenomenon. Coming months after the so called peaceful Shaheen Bagh anti-CAA protests that laid siege to Delhi’s arterial roads for months and snowballed into riots, people have become largely indifferent to the idea of peace protests that are disrupting normal life. The transmogrification of Shaheen Bagh has confirmed the worst fears of people.

Emerging wiser after the protests which has thrown life out of gear, people are now diligently evaluating their agenda, appraising the motives and assessing the outcomes of such agitations launched with much fanfare in cahoots with regular actors. Shaheen Bagh protests has opened a Pandora Box exposing the dubious intentions of the vested interests hell-bent on capitalising the festering societal wounds and the past subjugations to create unrest in the country.

The establishment has been at logger heads with the Modi government ever since its advent to power in 2014. Though country didn’t witness any terror attacks, except in Kashmir in the past six years and people lived peacefully, society witnessed a studied discord marked by spurious attempts to stoke communal tensions. Inundating the national discourse with the hitherto unfamiliar jargon like intolerance, fascism, hypernationalism and the like and unleashing post-truth media trials by coopting with international agencies, the establishment strived to accentuate societal fissures. Stigmatizing the reforms and legislations by imputing motives of communalism, the establishment endeavoured to paint a picture of gloom and unrest in the country. Main streaming candle marches and unleashing award wapsi movement, they tried to garner international attention to the internal affairs of the country.

Voted out by the people for failing to deliver, political parties, pandered to the establishment to take on the elected government. The first term of Modi government characteristically witnessed this orchestrated mud-slinging campaigns. But this diabolical game plan of establishment boomeranged and Modi government was voted to power with thumping majority in 2019.

Undeterred by the nefarious agenda of the establishment, defiant Modi heralded the country into a regime of reforms with renewed vigour and intensity. Rattled by the new legislations, which included abrogation of article 370, triple talaq and CAA, breaching the redlines, making no secret of their dubious connections the establishment launched nationwide protests. While the agitations and dharnas elsewhere failed to make any dent, Shaheen Bagh protests which swelled into Delhi riots of 2020 quintessentially reminded people of scandalous agenda of the establishment.

By religiously replicating the tried Shaheen Bagh framework of hijacking the capital city, Punjab farmers have inadvertently, triggered latent suspicions about the veracity of their intentions. Spearheaded by seasoned activists, who vociferously oppose every move of the government, since its very inception, farmers protests elicited mixed responses.  Economists who bragged Modi government for failing on the promise of big-bang reforms welcomed new farm laws as the 1991 moment for Agriculture. Tipped to herald Indian agriculture into second green revolution by doubling farmers income, the three bills received a unanimous nod from policy makers as well.

Politicizing these reforms, Congress denounced them and soon the Congress ruled states pledged to bring out alternate laws for their states. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh government even passed three laws by-passing the central government legislation. Notwithstanding this development, Punjab farmers first staged a rail roko in the state and then gheraoed Delhi. Marked by absence of strident opposition from other parts of country, people viewed the outrage of Punjab farmers with scepticism.

But the international players quickly lapped up these protests. The usual suspects from across the globe buttressed by India’s adversaries upped ante against India. Advocating for Punjab farmers Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, leader of New Democratic Party Jagmeet Singh, 36 British MPs lashed out at India. In what can be considered as a sequel to foreign players reaction to anti-CAA protests, similar kind of protests with Khalistani flags marred central London and the same lobby in the US backed Punjab farmers. Intriguingly, Canada and the US which opposed India’s MSP (Minimum Support Price) have supported protesting farmers demanding MSP exposing their duplicity.

In the aftermath of the Delhi riots, social media activists have laid threadbare the nexus of the all-India anti-CAA protests meticulously. Common man quickly grasped the unmissable pattern that adduced Shaheen Bagh making a comeback with farmers protests. As a result, resisting the temptation to be lured by virtue signalling of solidarity, Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), All India Transporters Welfare Association (AITWA) extended support to Farmers Protests. Though Bankers Union supported the Bandh, they reported to work.

Needless to say, the coming together of all opposition parties including the Congress party, which pledged agriculture reforms in their 2019 manifesto and Sharad Pawar, who vociferously batted for abolition of APMC, the high-pitched agitation isn’t about the farmers rights. It is yet another attempt by political parties to derail the BJP government.

Government held six rounds of talks in the past 14days with farmers to address their concerns regarding the new farm bills. At the time of writing, government has reportedly sent a 10-point proposal to agitating farmers associations making necessary amendments in the provisions to assuage farmers fears. But farmers outrightly rejected the proposal insisting on nothing less than complete repealing of the three farm bills. Such intransigence of farmers and reluctance to reach a middle ground implicitly strengthened growing suspicions of nefarious underlying agenda exposed the guise of genuity of the protests.

Amid protests 1.2 lakh farmers from Haryana and farmers organisations from Odisha have extended support to farm bills. But claiming to be representatives of entire farming community, the protestors announced plans to Gherao Delhi on December 12^th blocking the Delhi-Agra and Delhi-Jaipur highways and free all tolls across the country. Barely hours after leaders of four opposition parties met the President seeking repeal of the bills, farmers rejected government’s proposal. 

Interestingly, the much-touted 2020 Khalistan Referendum remained a pipe dream. Disenchanted Khalistan activists have been waiting for an opportune time to reenergise the movement and farm protests have perfectly fit their bill. Growing political support to farmers, implicit support of the foreign actors and obstinate approach of farmers clearly hints at a larger political agenda.

Common man, in India has by and large smarted the art of reading through the double standards of professional activists and their barraged hypocrisy. On the contrary, BJP which is known to have excelled the art of communication failed to crack the farmer protests nexus. It is time BJP constitutes special teams to communicate the benefits of laws to farmers directly, track the money trails to the protestors from foreign agents and expose the misinformation peddled by the protestors. 

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