Why Indian farmers are revolting against Prime Minister Modi

NEW DELHI (AP) – A sea of ​​tens of thousands of horse-drawn farmers with tractors and horses stormed India’s historic Red Fort this week – a dramatic escalation of their protests, which pose a major challenge to the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The AP explains what is at the center of two months of demonstrations and what it means for the Modi government.

WHO PROTESTS?

Most of the protesters are farmers from northern Punjab and Haryana states, the two largest agricultural producers. They are calling for the repeal of laws passed by Parliament in September that say they will favor large farms, devastate the profits of many farmers and leave behind those who have small plots while large corporations win. Modi has billed the laws as necessary to modernize Indian agriculture.

Due to the demographics of Punjab and Haryana, many of the protesters in New Delhi are of India’s minority Sikh religion, although their grievances are rooted in economic, not religious, issues. There are also protests in other parts of the country among Indians from other backgrounds.

In recent weeks, non-farmers have also joined in and protests gained momentum in November, when farmers tried to march on New Delhi but were arrested by police. From then on, they pledged to take refuge on the outskirts of the city until the laws were repealed.

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WHAT ARE YOUR CONCERNS?

At the heart of these protests are fears by Indian farmers that government measures to introduce market reforms in the agricultural sector will leave them poorer, at a time when they are already frustrated by their weight loss as the government it aims to turn India into a hub for global companies.

The new legislation is unclear whether the government will continue to guarantee the prices of certain essential crops, a system that was introduced in the 1960s to help India strengthen its food reserves and prevent scarcity.

While the government has said it is willing to promise guaranteed prices will continue, farmers are skeptical and want new legislation to ensure these prices are their legal right.

Farmers also fear legislation would indicate that the government is moving away from a system in which an vast majority of farmers sell only to government-sanctioned markets. They worry that this will leave them at the mercy of companies that will no longer have a legal obligation to pay them the guaranteed price.

The government argues that this is designed to give farmers more options to whom to sell their produce.

The clauses in the legislation also prevent farmers from bringing contractual disputes to court, leaving them without independent means of redress apart from government-appointed bureaucrats.

These perceived threats to their incomes terrorize Indian farmers, who are mostly smallholders: a staggering 68% of them own less than a hectare of land. In some states, farming families earn only 20,000 rupees ($ 271) on average annually. ___

WHY ARE THESE PROTESTS SIGNIFICANT?

Farmers form the most influential voting bloc in India and are often romanticized as the heart and soul of the nation.

Politicians have long felt it unwise to alienate them and farmers are also particularly important to Modi’s base. His party rules Northern Haryana and few other states with a large number of peasants.

Since the legislation was passed, the Modi government has lost two political alliance partners and some of its own leaders warn it to tread carefully.

Protests against the Modi government are the largest since he came to power in 2014. They come at a time when the country’s economy has been dying out, social conflicts have spread, protests have erupted against laws that some consider discriminatory and the government has been questioning its response to the coronavirus pandemic.

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WHAT DOES THE GOVERNMENT SAY?

The Modi government says the legislation will benefit farmers by boosting production through private investment.

The government has offered to amend the laws and suspend their implementation for 18 months, but this has not satisfied farmers who want a total repeal.

The Modi government also tried to initially discredit Sikh farmers by dismissing their concerns motivated by religious nationalism. Some Modi party leaders called them “khalistanis,” a reference to a movement for an independent Sikh homeland called “khalistan” in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Under Modi, India has seen the tide of Hindu nationalism rise that has sunk minority groups, mostly Muslims. Some leaders of Modi’s party and India’s television channels, which have long favored the government’s Hindu nationalist policies, have called farmers “anti-national,” a label often given to those who criticize Modi or their policies.

However, these allegations appear to have been made backwards, which further angered the farmers, many of whose family members serve in India’s army, police and civil service. Since then, ordinary citizens have also joined and protests have gained momentum.

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WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR THE MODE?

While this is a major challenge for his government, Modi’s popularity continues to rise and his approval ratings continue to be high due to his nationalist-Hindu policies.

Many agricultural experts agree that the Indian agricultural sector needs reforms, but question the way the Modi government introduced laws and business participation in agriculture.

“Leaving farmers at the mercy of markets would be like a death penalty for them,” said Devinder Sharma, an agriculture expert who has spent the past two decades campaigning for equal income for Indian farmers. “We’re talking about people who feed us.”

Critics also highlight what they see as the Modi government’s tendency to push for reforms without building consensus. When the laws were passed in Parliament, Modi’s party refused to expand the debate on it despite repeated opposition requests. He also denied referral of the laws to a special committee, where members could discuss them further.