THE anger and frustration of farmers against the authoritarian, pro-corporate NDA-3 Government has erupted in protests across India on December 23, as farmers demand intervention from President Droupadi Murmu. They have called on her to direct Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to immediately engage in talks with all farmers' organisations and take urgent action to save the life of farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who has been on a hunger strike for 28 days. Along with this, the protests raise several other important demands.
Farmers have issued a stern warning that if anything untoward happens to Dallewal, the full responsibility will lie with Prime Minister Modi, Home Minister Shah, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, and Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini.
Massive protests have been reported in numerous states and union territories, reflecting a strong sentiment of anger against the NDA-3 Government’s insensitive and arrogant approach. Farmers and workers have denounced the government's refusal to follow democratic principles of governance as outlined in the Constitution of India. Rather than engaging in dialogue with agitating farmers, the government has resorted to suppressing peaceful protests with brute force.
The NDA-3 Government’s continued disregard for the hardships faced by farmers and agricultural workers is evident in its policies that not only harm agriculture but also undermine industry and services. Key measures, such as the introduction of the New National Agriculture Market Policy, the Digital Agriculture Mission, and the National Cooperation Policy, along with the imposition of four labour codes and the ‘One Nation, One Election’ agenda, are an attack on the federal rights of state governments. These policies pave the way for corporate profiteering under the guise of a unified national market. The introduction of these new policies is part of a broader strategy to resurrect the controversial three farm laws through the backdoor. Furthermore, the government's recent actions – such as blocking procurement in APMC markets in Punjab and Haryana, dismantling the Food Corporation of India (FCI) by promoting cash transfers for food subsidies, and slashing food and fertilizer subsidies – are seen as an ongoing corporate assault on the MSP system and food security, further exacerbating the crisis in India’s agricultural sector.
In response to this attack on the farmers, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha has called on opposition political parties to unite around critical livelihood issues – such as MSP, minimum wages, unemployment, price rise, and farmer indebtedness – and defend the rights of state governments against the corporate-driven policies being imposed by the central government.
SKM had submitted a memorandum to the prime minister, the leaders of opposition in both Houses of Parliament, and all Members of Parliament on 16th, 17th, and 18th July 2024, following the ND-3 Government's assumption of office. On August 9, 2024, farmers across the country organised a protest against increasing corporate control over agriculture. In coordination with the Central Trade Unions and Agricultural Workers’ Unions, SKM led massive worker-farmer demonstrations in over 500 districts, with participation from nearly ten lakh people. A memorandum was also submitted to the President of India via district collectors on November 26, 2024.
However, the government has shown no willingness to engage in meaningful discussions. Instead, the prime minister and BJP-led state governments in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have attempted to suppress the peaceful farmers' struggles at the Shambu and Khanuri borders in Punjab, and at the Noida-Greater Noida borders in Uttar Pradesh, through tear gas shelling, rubber bullets, water cannons, and the imprisonment of hundreds of farmers.
SKM emphasized that India’s farmers, who have long fought against British colonialism and feudal oppression, will not tolerate the current government’s repression. The movement is firmly committed to resisting the government's authoritarian attempts to suppress democratic dissent. Farmers and workers across the country are preparing for even larger and more intense struggles, potentially surpassing the scale of the 2020-21 farmers' movement, to challenge the NDA-3 Government’s corporatisation of agriculture, industry, and services. These policies, along with the ongoing attack on the federal structure of India’s Constitution, pose a direct threat to the very fabric of democratic governance.
The protests unfolding across India serve as a powerful signal of the growing unity within the kisan movement and the broader worker-peasant unity. This unity is essential for mounting a stronger resistance to the government’s corporate-driven agenda, which seeks to deny farmers their rightful Minimum Support Price (MSP), fair wages, and other basic rights. SKM urges farmers and workers to remain resolute in their demands for MSP, loan waivers, a halt to electricity privatisation, and the full implementation of the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation, and Resettlement (LARR) Act of 2013.
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