After failing to gain the support of their respective governments, the peasants decided to put pressure on the central government by marching towards Delhi. [99] On November 25, 2020, protesters from the Dilli Chalo campaign (translated as “Let`s Go to Delhi”) were received by the city`s border police. [136] Police used tear gas and water cannons, dug up roads, and used layers of barricades and sand barriers to arrest protesters,[137] resulting in at least three peasant sacrifices. [138] In the midst of the clashes, the media highlighted on November 27 the actions of a teenager who jumped on a police water cannon targeting protesting farmers and extinguished it. He was later charged with attempted murder. [139] [140] In November 2020, thousands of farmers marched peacefully to the state capital to demand the complete repeal of the center`s three controversial agrarian laws. Their collective anger was perfectly captured by the song “Aelaan” – the word meaning “an explanation” – and is used in both Urdu and Punjabi. On the morning of November 19, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the three laws would be repealed, the chorus of the Punjabi song “Faslaan de faisley kisaan karuga” (only one farmer will have the last word on his harvest) dominated public discourse on the plight of peasants and peasant unrest, which was reportedly completed a year ago on November 26. Farmers feed each other candy and celebrate by posing for photos after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced he would pass the controversial agricultural laws on September 19. November 2021 at the peasant protest site in Ghazipur, near the border between Delhi and UP, India.
REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis Happy said farmers would not break their protest and are now pushing for other demands, including minimum support prices (MSP) for crops and compensation for the families of hundreds of farmers who they say died during the protests. One protester was killed and dozens of farmers and police were injured. We need a second green revolution that uses modern advances […] To do this, we need to revive India`s agricultural research system, India`s consultative system, India`s credit system. The more we market our agriculture, the more our farmers need access to commercial inputs, and that was a modernization of our farm credit system. […] There are other rigidities due to all the marketing regulations that were introduced in the 1930s that prevent our farmers from selling their products where they get the best yield. We intend to eliminate all the disadvantages that hinder India, which is exploiting its enormous potential as a large common market. Protesting farmers, who camped by the thousands on the main roads around the capital New Delhi, celebrated Modi`s return. Videos and images of the protests helped raise awareness of the farmers` cause, and many went viral, including a police officer with batons in his hand in the direction of an elderly Sikh man, Sukhdev Singh. [360] Fake news also circulated, such as a converted video claiming there was no violence in this incident, shared by BJP leader Amit Malviya; However, this video was flagged as misinformation by Twitter, and the video was publicly criticized as propaganda.
[360] Protesters armed with swords took turns circulating in the media after the Republic Day protests; More than 300 police officers were injured on the 26th. [12] [361] [11] Many independent political observers draw parallels between the anti-CAA movement and peasant unrest. “Both democratic demonstrations were successful. Even after two years, the government still needs to establish and communicate the rules that will govern the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019. Given the popular protests, the government will eventually have to withdraw the decisions of the CAA and NRC,” said Aakar Patel, political commentator and former director of Amnesty International India. Raja wondered why the prime minister needed the loss of more than 600 farmers and the brutality of Lakhimpur Kheri before he could revoke the controversial laws. “The country`s farmers have shown that a common struggle against the government can force them to give in and strengthen democracy,” he said, adding, “It is time to learn from this struggle and step up our fight against the CAA, the NRC and the new labor laws.” Modi first announced his intention to repeal the laws on November 19 – a major Sikh holiday. They said India`s strict laws regarding the sale of agricultural products and high subsidies have protected farmers from market forces for decades, and there is no need to change that. “We will wait until the day when the agricultural laws in parliament are repealed.” Farmers` unions said the laws would make farmers vulnerable to big business and destroy their livelihoods. The protests escalated in November last year when farmers tried to march on Delhi but were arrested by the city`s border police. Since then, they had remained on the sidelines of the city against all odds – they braved the scorching heat, a harsh winter and even a deadly second wave of Covid. Political analysts say the upcoming election is a major reason for the surprising decision to withdraw the three farm laws, but it`s still too early to say if it will work.“It`s completely elective. This is aimed at voters in Punjab, which was the center of peasant unrest,” Ghosh said. [Modi] wants to erase the very bitter memory of farmers with his own words. He called them “professional agitators.” His ministers called them anti-national, disorderly. All kinds of abuses have been thrown in their way. He wants everyone to forget about it before the election. » Read more: Indian farmers` protests: Internet shutdown underscores Modi`s record of cracking down on digital dissent Parliament passes a bill to repeal controversial laws that have led to years of unrest by tens of thousands of farmers.