In a week’s time, it would have been a year that farmers have been protesting on the outskirts of New Delhi, demanding a repeal of the three farm laws. During that period, 700 farmers made the ultimate sacrifice, giving up their lives. A government that had stood resolute against the demands found itself facing an equally firm group of farmers who, despite the conditions where they were protesting, and the deaths of many of the compatriots, would not back down on their demands. In the end, it was the government that blinked first and the farmers got what they wanted. Yet, in a politically charged atmosphere, one has to question whether there were political motives that nudged the Central government to relent.
Why would a government that, even when announcing that the three contentious farm laws would be repealed when Parliament meets later this month, make attempts to justify them? The Prime Minister was insistent that the laws, though there were being rolled back, were pro-farmer. So, could it be that the announcement has to do with the impending Assembly elections in five States, but primarily in the two North Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Punjab that are crucial to any government that has set sights on the 2024 general Lok Sabha elections? These two states are largely agricultural economies and farmers from both States, especially those of Punjab, had been protesting the laws for a whole year. The effect that these protest this could have on the balloting would be something the Centre would be concerned about.
For the government at the Centre, winning Uttar Pradesh is crucial for their 2024 Lok Sabha plans. Recent reports emerging from that State indicated that the BJP was losing ground in Uttar Pradesh and that party leaders were not welcome in areas where the farmers’ protests had gained momentum. Though the bulk of the farmers protesting at the Delhi borders were from Punjab, there were sizeable numbers from Uttar Pradesh. Allowing the protest to continue with just months to go for the elections in the two States was a risk that the party would not be comfortable taking.
The timing of the announcement is also perfect, as the Prime Minister Modi will be in Uttar Pradesh over the next now three days. His trips to the State do not end there and he is likely to visit Uttar Pradesh frequently over the next few weeks until the elections. The announcement by the government, therefore, can be construed as a political decision more than one of compassion for the plight of those protesting, but it still comes as a victory for the farmers from across the country who stood their ground for an entire year on the three borders of New Delhi. They did it, they got what they wanted – a good harvest after a long year of toil.
As farmers begin to return to their homes, what can be learnt from the farmers is that resilience pays. They were condemned, the police force was used against them but they didn’t call off their protest. It is not easy for thousands of farmers to sit on the borders of the National Capital protesting for a full year. But they did it and somehow never ended up riling the residents of Delhi or the daily commuters who may have got caught up in the blockades set up by the police. It was the government that caved in, and this makes it a spectacular victory for the farmers, as earlier several rounds of talks between the Centre and the farmers during the early months of the protest had not led to any resolution. In the end it was their perseverance that mattered most and got them victory.
