Deepening divide

Deepening divide

As the protesting farmers have thrown the gauntlet, the Govt must seek speedy remedy.

Sunday’s Mahapanchayat in Muzaffarnagar re-energised the farmers’ protest which had seemingly lost steam in the last few months. Thousands attended the protest as the farm leaders kept slamming the Government on the three controversial farm laws. The Centre can now brace for impact as the farmers in large numbers charge towards Karnal’s mini secretariat to gherao it after talks with the Haryana Government failed. The authorities, like they usually do, have suspended mobile internet and SMS services till midnight to “avoid mobilisation of mobs”. Reportedly, farm leaders including Rakesh Tikait and social activist Yogendra Yadav were briefly detained by the forces and water cannons were used on protestors as they broke through the barricades. These “bullish measures” to make peace with enraged farmers have never worked before and the ad hoc attempts by the forces are lamentable. The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) had earlier said that a case should be registered against IAS officer Ayush Sinha for his alleged comment, telling the police to “break heads” of the protesting farmers in Karnal. The lathicharge by the police left 10 people injured late in August. The officer, however, has already been transferred.

The protest has certainly unsettled the BJP Government ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections in 2022. The Opposition parties, including the Samajwadi Party and the Congress, have shown their support “digitally”. The BJP leaders never fail to claim that the protesting farmers are just “acting farmers” and actually belong to the SP, BSP and the Congress. It is now a question for the BJP whether to address the laws issue or just let the protest be. However, would they let the farmers’ agitation torpedo their UP poll prospects, and later the 2024 general elections, as BKU leader Rakesh Tikait has promised to dethrone “foreign powers”? What is saddening is that even after nine months into the protest and several rounds of discussions, no conclusion has been reached. The governance of this sort is questionable, as they say, if you cannot convince; get convinced, because it is the public that suffers the consequences. The Government should realise that it is not a power tussle and considering the demands of the farmers would not make it any weaker. However, if the Government is waiting on the public to stage a protest against the one currently going on, that the country certainly cannot afford.