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Since the march on New Delhi in November 2020, much has happened related to the Indian Farmers’ protest. The demonstrations were induced by the passing of three farm acts at the Parliament of India in September 2020, ordered by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi. As tensions between farmers and the government continue to rise, farmers have decided to stage a hunger strike amidst periodical clashes.
As of Monday the 1st of February, the Indian government was still blocking Internet access to several areas near New Delhi: a move which has been labelled "undemocratic". However, India's Ministry of Home Affairs continues to claim that the decision is "in the interest of maintaining public safety and averting public emergency."
To ease the intense nature of the protest, farmers pulled off a hunger strike on January 30, 2021, as a means to signal that the farmers’ protest is, and will be, peaceful. The hunger strike occurred on the same day as the anniversary of the death of Mahatma Gandhi - known for his quiet resistance to colonial rule. However, farmers continue to clash with the government to ensure the agricultural reforms do not go through.
Even though many farmers believe the laws passed in September tipped the scales in advantage of large businesses in agriculture, leading to despair amongst farmers who fear deprivation, Modi and his partners insist India must adhere to these laws to modernize Indian agriculture. Modi commented on the protest, exclaiming that the farmers' assault on a historic fort was an "insult" to the Indian flag.
The reason for these agricultural reforms stems back to the 1960s, when India had a “Green Revolution,” the scheme in which the Indian government gave farmers a guaranteed set price for specific crops. From this, India helped to steer away from vast amounts of hunger within the population. Since the outbreak of coronavirus, it was estimated that there would be 100 million tons of grain available to the Indian people - provided by farmers, especially those in northern India.
However, ever since the Green Revolution, the welfare of the environment and the earnings of the agriculture sector have always contradicted one another. The government recently tried to ban the practice of stubble burning among farmers to reduce extreme air pollution, however farmers opposed this law, as it interfered with their most convenient way of clearing the fields.
Stubble burning has been linked to reduced biodiversity in addition to other implications on the environment. “There’s no doubt that agriculture and markets need a lot of very serious public investment and reform,” says Mekhala Krishnamurthy, a senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research, a New Delhi think tank. “We have a situation where Indian agriculture is the site of enormous livelihoods and economic opportunity, but it has also been riddled with huge challenges and a lot of economic distress.” The government of India continues to struggle to find the balance between the well-being of the environment and the welfare of its people.
Protesters have been very reluctant to accept agricultural reforms, as they do not believe in the government's assurance that the new laws will be to “empower farmers.” On the contrary, farmers suspect the government is trying to gradually eliminate the business of small farmers in replacement for big corporations. What farmers really want, says Yogendra Yadav, national president of Swaraj India, a political party that is supporting the farmers’ demands, is for Modi's government to actually guarantee that its minimum prices for farm produce will be accessible to all farmers. He believes that, currently, as many as 80% of farmers will fail to receive the guaranteed amount.
The protests led by unions from Punjab and Haryana, two states where the government frequently buys wheat and rice from, are fuelled by fear. Activists worry that the system on which they rely on will soon be overthrown by various kinds of private investments, challenging their source of living. As peaceful as the protests sound, people are willing to risk their lives to ensure a better future is in store for farmers. “Our movement has gained strength after the Republic Day rally. We have decided that we won’t go back,” said Sukhdev Singh, another farmer leader who was taking part in Saturday’s hunger strike. “If we are to die, we will die here.” The protests are ongoing and have achieved some degree of success, as there have been three rounds of discussion within the government. However, these meetings have all achieved inconclusive results, leaving matters open and unresolved.
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