Is tarring farmers' stir going to help?

With several controversies erupting out of the ongoing farmer's protests, there was another twist added to the protests. "The ongoing protests against new agriculture laws have been infiltrated by 'Leftists and Maoist elements'", Union minister Piyush Goyal said on Saturday. The Union Minister had said, “…we now realize that the so-called farmer agitation hardly remains a farmer agitation. It is almost infiltrated by Leftists and Maoist elements, a flavor of which we saw over the last two days when there were extraneous demands to release people who have been put behind bars for anti-national activities.”

  

 

Though it is agreeable that such announcements of releasing people are not right, there are genuine farmers who are fighting against the Farm Acts which the farmers find very non-beneficial for them. They have even stated that these Farm Acts are not non-beneficial but also can affect them severely causing them a huge amount of losses.

 

During the six-year tenure of the Modi government, people have witnessed many protests. In all these protests taking place, the ruling government has always targeted the protesters bringing in various colors including adding the color of Maoists. Similarly, it has not even missed this ongoing farmers' stir. Initially, it has played the same old trick - branded them as ‘Khalistanis’. The members of the ruling party had already attempted to malign the protestors. Haryana Chief Minister Khattar claimed that the government had received reports that the ranks of the protestors included a "Khalistani presence", stating that separatists who want an independent Sikh homeland had joined the agitation. This had severely hurt the sentiments of the agitating farmers.

 

It is very evident that this farmers' stir seems less political with many farmers' unions stating they do not want political support from any political party. However, the BJP-led government has tried to bring down the Opposition parties. Eventually, now, they have named that elements of the protests are highly influenced by the Urban-Maoists. But, the government has gone wrong in understanding that there no other ulterior motives other than what they are demanding, given the sustained agricultural crisis in India for the last many decades. With the name 'Maoists' getting linked to the ongoing protests, it is like abusing the genuine farmers who truly believe the farm laws are not good for them.

 

Other than Maoists, there is another inclusion of "elements" in farmers' protests and it is the ‘tukde-tukde’ gang. The Union Ministers have also stated agitation has been hijacked by the ‘tukde-tukde’ gang and separatist and anti-national forces. Yes, there have been attempts made by the foreign aggressors who have created disruptions in the society but not this time. If there are really benefits for the farmers from these farm laws, they will return back home happily. But, if they are colored with names, it will last longer than it is expected.

 

In the recent turn of events, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and MoS Som Prakash met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah amidst the ongoing agitation against the farm laws. The Agri Minister has already led six rounds of discussions with the farmers' representatives along with Som Prakash whereas Home Minister Amit Shah had also met with a delegation of the farmers to discuss their demands. However, it seems that the Centre has failed to understand the demands of the farmers. As a result, the Modi government should stop using the name of the "so-called elements" or the blame-game with the Opposition in order to hide their failed strategies to make the farmers feel that they are real benefits.