Thousands of farmers across India blocked roads and railway tracks on Friday in a protest against three farm bills that they say could pave the way for the government to stop buying grain at guaranteed prices, leaving them at the mercy of private buyers.
As part of Bharat Bandh called by leading farmers’ organisations, agrarians held demonstrations in many parts of the country and blocked highways leading to New Delhi using trucks, tractors and combine harvesters.
Life was disrupted due to protests in Punjab and Haryana as the farmers pressed the Centre for the withdrawal of the proposed legislations, which are yet to get the assent of the President. Protests were also reported from other parts of the country, including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Gujarat.
Bharat Bandh on farm bills in 10 points:
1) The effect of Bharat Bandh called by farmer unions was most evident in Punjab and Haryana as farmers took over roads and railway tracks to protest against the farm bills. The farmers also protested against the bills in the eastern states of Odisha and West Bengal. Opposition parties took out rallies against the farm bills in poll-bound Bihar. PM Modi’s home state Gujarat also witnessed protests by farmer unions. In the South, farmers protested in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
2) Even as the protests remained largely peaceful, the Bharat Bandh affected life for the common man in Punjab and Haryana. Authorities had to cancel several train services passing through Punjab as farmers blocked railway tracks. Bus service between Delhi and Chandigarh had to be suspended as farmers had taken over the national highway. Shops, commercial establishments and vegetable markets at many places remained shut. In Punjab, Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee has been holding a rail roko agitation since September 24 and has now decided to extend it till September 29.
Farmers shout slogans as they block a railway track protesting against the new farm bills, at Devi Dass Pura village, about 20 kilometers from Amritsar | AP photo
3) The Bharat Bandh was called by the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee (AIKSCC), All India Kisan Mahasangh (AIKM) and Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU). In Punjab, as many as 31 farmers’ organisations came together for a complete shutdown of the state. The “Punjab bandh” call got support from government employees’ unions, singers, commission agents, labourers and social activists.
4) The farmers are protesting against the three farm bills introduced by the Modi government in the recent Monsoon session. The bills – The Farmers’ Produce Trade And Commerce (Promotion And Facilitation) Bill, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill — have been passed by the Parliament and will become legislation after President Ram Nath Kovind’s signature. The farmers fear that the proposed legislation will expose them to exploitation by corporate companies and take away procurement by the government at a guaranteed price.
Farmers riding tractors on road leading from Noida to New Delhi | AP photo
5) As the farmers raised slogans against the bills on roads, Prime Minister Narendra Modi defended the legislations. Addressing BJP workers via video conferencing, PM Modi said that the BJP-led government has introduced reforms for the welfare of the farmers. “Previous governments used to make a complicated web of promises and laws which farmers or labourers could never understand. But BJP-led NDA government has constantly tried to change this situation and has introduced reforms for the welfare of farmers,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said. He urged BJP workers to reach out to farmers on the ground and inform them about the importance and intricacies of the new farm reforms and how these bills will empower them.
6) Attacking the government on the proposed legislations, ex-Congress president Rahul Gandhi said that the proposed laws will enslave farmers. His sister and party’s general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said that the farm bills reminded her of East India Company Raj. “Minimum Support Price will be taken away from farmers. They will be forced to become slaves of trillions through contract farming. Neither the price nor the honor. Farmers will become a labourer on their own farms. The BJP’s Agricultural Bills remind the East India Company Raj. We will not let this injustice happen,” she said.
A flawed GST destroyed MSMEs.
The new agriculture laws will enslave our Farmers.#ISupportBharatBandh
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 25, 2020
7) In Punjab, which forms a crucial part of India’s food bowl, both government and the opposition have joined hands against the bills. While the ruling Congress and AAP have extended support to the protest, the Shiromani Akali Dal held a “chakka jaam” (road blockade) at many places in Punjab.
Chief Minister Amarinder Singh dubbed the passage of the farm bills as “a step in the wrong direction”. “Farmers are the backbone of our society & the recent farmer Bills passed by the Union government are a step in the wrong direction. It’s time we all stand for what’s right. Together let’s impress upon the Centre to pull back these Anti-Farmer bills,” he tweeted.
Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal drove a tractor while his wife and former Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal sat beside him in Muktsar district. Sukhbir led a tractor march from his residence in Badal village to Lambi where the party had organised a protest against the Bills. Prominent Punjabi singers, including Harbhajan Mann and Ranjit Bawa, took part in a farmers’ protest in Nabha.
8) In Haryana, farmers blocked the Rohtak-Jhajjar road. Farmers held protests at several places, including Rewari and Yamunanagar. Additional forces were deployed at Ambala and Panipat railway stations. Several organisations in Haryana, including the BKU, have extended support to the nationwide strike called by some farmers’ bodies. The BJP-led Haryana government had deployed a large number of police personnel across the state to maintain law and order.
9) In Uttar Pradesh, hundreds of farmers sat on protests on the UP-Delhi border after they were stopped by police personnel from moving towards the national capital, disrupting traffic in Noida and Ghaziabad. There was a heavy deployment of police personnel in riot gear to ward off any disturbance during the protest. The farmers, who had come on foot, two-wheelers and tractor-trolleys, were stopped by police personnel at Noida Gate in Sector 14A near Chilla border by erecting barricades. Two other groups were stopped at Hapur chungi and Modinagar in Ghaziabad. The farmers, who had gathered under the banner of Bharatiya Kisan Union, staged ‘panchayats’ to discuss their issues after being stopped from moving towards the national capital. The panchayats were addressed by regional farm leaders and BKU office-bearers.
Farmers raising slogans as they block the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border during a protest against farm bills | Reuters photo
Protests were also held by farmers, as well as Congress and Samajwadi Party workers in Gorakhpur, Deoria, Kushinagar and Jalaun districts of Uttar Pradesh.
10) While the farmers are urging the Centre to withdraw the legislations, some political leaders are dwelling on ways to keep the bills out of their states. Congress and NCP leaders, which are part of the ruling alliance in Maharashtra, on Friday said that they are trying to find ways to not implement the farm bills in the state. Similarly, SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal told a public rally that the Punjab CM should call an immediate cabinet meeting and pass an ordinance to declare the state as one ‘Mandi’ to ensure recently passed agricultural bills not enforceable in Punjab.