AFTER 35 days of relentless struggle by lakhs of farmers around Delhi and across the country, the BJP central government was finally forced to blink, but only partially. On December 30, the government resumed talks with the SamyuktaKisanMorcha (SKM) after a long gap of 25 days, the earlier round of talks having been held on December 5.

This inordinate delay was by itself a callous and criminal activity on the part of the heartless Modi regime, considering that lakhs of farmers were camping on the borders of Delhi in the bitter December cold for over a month. Over 40 farmers have been martyred on the Delhi borders, and two have committed suicide in an attempt to make the ‘blind see and the deaf hear’.

The BJP government thought that the struggle will gradually die down, and that farmers would start leaving back for their homes in the face of the punishing winter. But exactly the opposite happened. Tens of thousands of farmers came marching in to join the five blocked borders.

The government’s bluff was effectively called. Public sympathy for the ‘annadatas’ and their struggle grew exponentially. Public opinion started going against the government in the same measure. This was what finally brought the government to the negotiating table after 25 days. On December 30, out of the four major demands of the struggle, it conceded two demands.

GOVERNMENT BLINKS, BUT PARTIALLY
First, the government agreed to drop those provisions in the Electricity Amendment Bill, 2020, which are intended to change the existing mode of subsidy payment to consumers. Thus, the existing power subsidies will be safeguarded.  

Second, the government agreed to exclude farmers from the ambit of the ‘Commission for the Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas Ordinance’. This draconian ordinance has provisions for levying a fine of one crore rupees or five years imprisonment or both. Thus, stubble burning will be ‘decriminalised’.

However, on the first two key demands of the ongoing historic struggle – repeal of the three anti-farmer, anti-people and pro-corporate Farm Laws, and the enactment of a law to guarantee procurement of agricultural produce at an MSP which is one and a half times the entire cost of production (C2 + 50 per cent), the central government adamantly refused to give in.

AIKS general secretary, Hannan Mollah and AIKS Punjab vice president, Dharampal Singh Seal, along with other leaders of the SKM, participated in the talks with the government on December 30. The next round of talks is scheduled for January 4.

SIEGE OF DELHI INTENSIFIES
After the completion of one month of the farmers struggle on December 26, it has intensified much further. Thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have freshly joined the siege of Delhi at the Singhu, Tikri, Ghazipur, Palwal and Shahjahanpur borders, blocking all the national highways there. The mobilisation of the AIKS and of other organizations at all five borders is rapidly increasing.

One of the most heartening aspects of the mobilisation at all five borders of Delhi is the very large proportion of women and youth. Their enthusiasm about the struggle and their anger against the BJP regime and also against the corporates allied to it is evident at every step. Like the earlier placards saying, ‘We are Farmers, Not Terrorists’, they are now wearing new placards saying, ‘Farmers Lives Matter’, ‘Farmers Against Corporates’, ‘Down with Modi-Shah-Ambani-Adani’, ‘Stop the Loot of India’, ‘Prepare for the Second Freedom Struggle’, and many other attractive and imaginative slogans relating to the four main demands of the struggle.

In spite of lakhs of fighting farmers involved in the siege of Delhi, the movement has been entirely peaceful and democratic. The BJP-RSS has tried to send agent provocateurs to stir up trouble and violence at all the five borders from time to time, but they have been immediately identified, isolated and handed over to the police.

The SKM calls in the second half of December were enthusiastically implemented all over the country. On December 20, condolence meetings were held to pay homage to over 40 kisan martyrs in this struggle. On December 23, fasts were observed in solidarity with the struggle. On December 27, coinciding with prime minister, Narendra Modi’s ‘mannkibaat’ talk show, lakhs of farmers all over the country banged thalis to condemn the utter insensitivity of the government. On December 29, ‘Nation for Farmers’ began a countrywide campaign of ‘Save Farmers, Save Nation’. On December 30, the CITU gave a call for workers’ demonstrations in all factories across the country in solidarity with the farmers and for repeal of the Labour Codes.   

On January 1, the SKM has invited all the citizens in and around Delhi to come and spend the New Year along with the farmers in struggle at any of the five borders. On the same day, the AIKSCC has given a call to take a pledge in support of the farmers struggle and to defend the Constitution. On January 6-7, AIAWU has given a countrywide solidarity call and on January 8, CITU has given another countrywide solidarity call.        

AIKS MAHARASHTRA JATHA JOINS SHAHJAHANPUR
On December 25, Christmas Day, which was also the 93rd anniversary of the public burning of the Manusmriti in 1927, led by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar at Mahad in the Raigad district of Maharashtra, the AIKS Maharashtra vehicle jatha of over 1,000 peasants reached the Shahjahanpur border. It was given a rousing welcome by thousands of farmers from Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab. Earlier, it was warmly received at Kota and Jaipur in Rajasthan after having traversed three days in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. (See earlier report last week.)

Among the leaders who welcomed the AIKS Maharashtra jatha were Hannan Mollah, AIKS vice president, Amra Ram, joint secretary, Vijoo Krishnan, finance secretary P Krishna Prasad, CITU president, K Hemalata, AIAWU general secretary, B Venkat, joint secretary, Vikram Singh, AIDWA general secretary, Mariam Dhawale, joint secretary, Asha Sharma, treasurer S Punyavati, SFI president V P Sanu, AIKS leaders Major Singh, Dharampal Singh Seal, Pema Ram, Chhagan Lal Choudhary, Duli Chand, Sanjay Madhav, CITU leaders Surender Singh, Surekha, Jogendra Sharma, AIDWA leader Archana Prasad, PSM leader Dinesh Abrol and others.

The huge public meeting  was addressed there by Hannan Mollah, K Hemalata, B Venkat and Maraiam Dhawale, and on behalf of the AIKS Maharashtra jatha by AIKS president, Ashok Dhawale, former state president, J P Gavit, ex-MLA, and state general secretary,  AjitNawale.

STRUGGLE SPREADS ACROSS THE COUNTRY
Several massive farmers’ actions have taken place across the country in the last two weeks under the AIKSCC banner. On December 16, a massive 45,000-strong farmers’ rally of West Bengal was held at Kolkata and it was addressed by AIKS general secretary, Hannan Mollah and other state leaders. In Kerala, massive dharnas of thousands of peasants are being organised at the state capital Thiruvananthapuram and in all district centres. At Bengaluru in Karnataka, from December 16 to 31, a continuous dharna has been organised of peasants, workers, students, youth and women. Similar dharnas are being held in several centres in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Jathas will now be held in many states to take the demands to the people.

On December 29, two huge rallies of over 10,000 farmers each were held at Patna in Bihar and Thanjavur in Tamilnadu under the AIKSCC banner. The Patna rally was addressed by AIKM general secretary, Rajaram Singh, AIKS president, Ashok Dhawale, AIKS (Ajoy Bhawan) general secretary, Atul Kumar Anjan, AIKS leaders Lalan Choudhary, Vinod Kumar, Prabhuraj Narayan Rao and leaders of other kisanorganisations. The Thanjavur rally was addressed by AIKSCC convenor, K Balakrishnan, AIKS state general secretary, P Shanmugham and AIKS state joint secretary, Swami Natarajan, among others. On December 30 a rally of thousands was held at Hyderabad in Telangana which was addressed by T Veerabhadram and other leaders. The farmers' struggle is thus spreading far and wide throughout the country.

On December 28, a meeting of the central leaders of the AIKS, CITU, AIAWU, AIDWA and SFI was held in Delhi. It jointly decided on certain important steps to intensify the struggle around Delhi and also across the country. The AIKS is soon publishing a booklet in Hindi about this historic nationwide farmers’ struggle and the crucial issues on which it is being fought.