The slogan Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan was first used by the former Prime Minister of India, the late Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1965 at a public gathering at Ramlila Maidan, New Delhi. Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan means Hail the Soldier, Hail the Farmer! Today, in the new India, neither the jawans nor the kisans have been hailed or protected by the Government of India. In fact, the kisans have been defamed as terrorists and khalistanis.
The violent incident that took place on January 26, 2021 on the Republic Day in the national capital, was visibly disturbing and we the people of India feel anguished as to how the farmers were treated with lathis, water cannons and tear gas. We need to realise that it is because of the farmers that we get three meals in our plates. The Government of India has become insensitive, heartless and merciless in handling and addressing the issues faced by the farmers, who toil hard day and night in the hot sun and monsoons to provide food for us.
It is the fundamental right of the people of India to protest peacefully if the people are unhappy with the policies and decisions of the government. Calling farmers anti-national by some of the stooges of the government is unacceptable. Several attempts have been made to divide the farmers’ unions, but all the unions came together to hold tractor rally on the Republic Day.
Indian politicians have perfected the art of divide and rule policy of the Britishers so well that till date our leaders have been successfully using the draconian divide and rule policy against its own people. But, sadly even our people do not realise that our politicians have been continuously dividing them on some pretext or the other.
The sedition and UAPA laws are being blatantly and systematically misused against the people who are voicing their grievances against the government. It appears that the Government of India has no respect for Lal Bahadur Shastri who taught us to hail our Jawans and our kisans. Calling anti nationals, terrorists and other names to our farmers is a grave insult to our late Prime Minister of India.
The very fact that our farmers have been protesting for over two months in shivering cold weather should be a serious concern to our collective conscience. Over 60 farmers have lost their lives in the ongoing protest , but the government is not only averse to listening to them but instead are using godi media to spread falsehood and propaganda against the farmers to end their lawful agitation.
In the ongoing farmers’ protest, was it a conspiracy to malign the farmers by hoisting a Nishan Sahib flag at the Red fort? It is absolutely disgraceful and unacceptable to allow to hoist religious flag on the public building. The Government is now trying to misuse the January 26, incident to end the agitation by blaming the farmers. Hopefully, the police will file FIRs against the said persons who led the mob to the Red Fort.
The crackdown on protesting farmers is a very worrisome sign to our democracy.
