ON March 6, the historic kisan movement completed one hundred days.  It is the biggest kisan movement in the country since independence and it covers the entire country – a Pan India kisan struggle in the true sense. 

This movement is the most united democratic movement in India as about 500 kisan organisations of heterogeneous nature are involved in it and they maintained unprecedented unity so far. 

Such a huge all-India movement is going ahead in an absolutely peaceful manner.  Not a single incident of violence occurred as our slogan is: “If there is peace, kisan will win, if there is violence, Modi will win”.  So, it remains the most peaceful movement in the history of democratic movement in the country.  Due to that, the government could not find any plea to attack the struggle.  However, they conspired to blame this movement and organised the ‘Lal Qila’ incident with the help of their own people.  Everybody knows that this incident was organised by the central government and their police. 

It is the first all-India kisan movement with lakhs of kisans from all over the country participating in it.  Earlier big kisan movements were organised in some states, or, in some parts of India and never took such an all-India character.  The BJP government and their pet media tried their best to paint it as ‘Punjabi movement’.  Definitely, kisans from Punjab are in the forefront and plays the most important role in this struggle. But it is not Punjab movement alone and it is part of an all-India movement, of course, Punjab is the pioneer in it. In most parts of the country, kisans are participating in thousands.  In 600 districts, ‘jail bharo’ was organised.  There was all-India general strike in which 30-35 crore people – kisan mazdoor – took part.  There was ‘rasta roko’ in all states and ‘rail roko’ in more than 600 places. 

This movement earned support from most of the sections of people from all over India.  All the national trade unions and federations extended full support to the movement and lakhs of working people are physically participating in different action programmes.  For the first time, so wide worker-peasant unity is visible in the struggle.  Agricultural workers and poorer sections of people strengthened the movement by joining in the struggle.  Women are participating in great enthusiasm and thousands are joining in different parts of the country.  Students and youth are participating in large numbers.  Small traders and retail traders also extended their support to the struggle. 

This struggle not only drew the attention of all sections of Indian people but also it drew unprecedented support from different countries.  The worldwide support poured in from international personalities, human rights activists, intellectuals, various United Nations organisations, the Indian diaspora in 100 countries of the world, parliamentarians from different countries etc. No national movement in the past received such wide international solidarity.

This wide, unique, united struggle has challenged the divisive, communal and casteist forces of the country.  The BJP and RSS are engaged in dividing people on caste and communal line.  But the present kisan movement created a new wider and inclusive identity called “kisan”.  The peasants are saying that they are all “kisans” irrespective of their caste or religious identity.  In the past, the communal forces had created riots between Jats and Muslims in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, which caused wide long-term division among them.  But now both communities and their leaders are openly saying that they committed a mistake and became victims of RSS conspiracies and a broader unity of Jats and Muslims has emerged.  The quarrel between Punjab and Haryana people was created on their identity, water dispute etc. But this movement united them. When kisans of Punjab were attacked by BJP government of Haryana, peasants of Haryana stood with them solidly and a new unity emerged between them. 

The authoritarian fascistic BJP government organised several attacks against this movement.  Anybody from intellectuals, artists, activists, human rights activists, youth and students, journalists, writers etc., supporting kisan movement are facing attacks from this government.  The excise department, ED, NIA, CBI, police etc., were widely used against them, branding them as ‘anti-national’, framing sedition charges against them, arresting and putting them behind bars – all these were only to terrorise democratic-minded people.  A large number of kisans are in jail and most leaders are charged with sedition cases.  This situation is worse than ‘Emergency’ period. The farmers, leaders of the movement and kisan organisations stood firm on their ground and are determined to face such attacks.  This is also unique in the history of our democratic movement.

While completing its 100th day, the movement reached its third stage.  In the first stage, it faced severe attacks, obstruction and threat.  But disregarding all such odds, kisans marched forward and sat in peaceful dharnas on the borders of Delhi and strengthened its force continuously up to January 26.  After the Republic Day conspiracy of the government, the movement appeared to be muted a little. But after government’s second conspiracy at Ghazipur, the movement was renewed with new forces.  All dharnas at the borders were strengthened with more mobilisation of people.  The second stage built-up challenged the government’s attack. 
On this day, the 100th day, a ‘chakka jam’ will be organised on outer Ring Road KMP and protest day against the black farm laws and anti-farmer government will be observed all over the country with black flags. 

The movement is continuing due to the government’s anti-farmer attitude.  The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) announced that the issue of withdrawal of three black laws and enacting MSP Act is a matter between farmers and the government.  There should not be any third party in-between. Because of that, the SKM even did not accept court’s mediation. But the government intentionally delayed the matter and in eleven rounds of talks, no solution found.  They wanted to tire us out by delaying tactics; last 40 days, there was no talk, though prime minister announced that government and farmers are at one phone call distance.  We made it clear that the problem can be solved only through discussion and we are waiting for it.  We rejected the old proposal months back and expected that the PM, as the highest authority, would come with some better proposals and an amicable solution will be found. 
However, the government mounted attack on the movement and in such an atmosphere, there is no discussion. The role of the government is disgusting.  All through, the government was trying to muzzle the movement.  After failing to stop the farmers’ march, it continuously propagated falsehood to blame the kisans.  It called the movement as led by khalistanis, led by Maoists, controlled by Leftists, run by political parties, encouraged by Pakistan and assisted by China and against jawans.  When all these falsehoods were condemned and exposed by SKM, then the government hatched new conspiracy using their agents and organised the Red Fort mischief.  Soon people understood it and government was widely condemned by people for their conspiracy to blame the peace-loving, disciplined and determined farmers.  Since then, the dialogue with farmers also stopped.  But farmers are determined to continue their struggle.  They faced unprecedented sufferings during these 100 days. They suffered zero-degree cold and severe rain and 250 of our brave farmers lost their lives.  But this inhuman government has no concern about the suffering farmers and not taking any step to solve their problems. In a democracy, an elected government will listen to their citizens’ voices, try to help them, but this BJP government’s role is totally undemocratic, authoritarian and fascistic. 

Through this long, difficult and determined struggle of 100 days, the farmers learnt many lessons.  The unprecedented sufferings made them understood the nature of oppressive State power.  The character of RSS-led BJP government is absolutely pro-corporate.  They want to destroy peasant-based agriculture and to establish corporate-based agriculture at the behest of Adani, Ambani and other national and international monopoly houses and corporate companies.  They are basically anti-farmer, anti-worker and anti-people.  They are trying to strengthen the system of exploitation by changing the system for facilitating corporate houses to maximize their profit and ensure smooth loot of the common people. The kisans learnt in these 100 days that the government is ready to destroy all constitutional and democratic rights of farmers and people and use all repressive measures to suppress the people and their democratic movement. They also understood that to force the government to come down, an all-India struggle is necessary and in the mahapanchayats held in different states, lakhs of people are gathering and these will generate adequate pressure on the government as the kisans are not only `annadata’ but also `votedata’.  The farmers also understood that suicide is not the way out of their crisis.

These 100 days of struggle has no parallel in history. We cannot compare it with any past movement. This movement is unique in itself and creating history.  It will be the yardstick for comparing future struggles and a serious lesson for posterity. 

Let us carry forward this struggle to victory.