E-Paper
Key issues on hold as farm bodies in Punjab see split in ranks
Farm bodies, who were part of the unified protest and forced the Centre to repeal the three farm laws in 2021, are a divided house now.
Farm bodies, who were part of the unified protest and forced the Centre to repeal the three farm laws in 2021, are a divided house now. Key farm organisations BKU Ekta-Ugrahan, Rajewal, Sidhupur and Dakaunda have witnessed a vertical divide. Due to the scenario, the farm bodies led by an umbrella organisation - Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) - are unable to pull their act together and negotiate the fulfilment of the promises made by the Centre, such as making MSP a legal guarantee and other demands.
After the announcement of repealing the farm laws by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 19, 2021, the SKM sought assurance from the Centre for resolving other issues.
The Centre subsequently gave in writing to constitute a committee to hold discussions on the ‘pending’ issues, including making minimum support price (MSP) a legal guarantee, the release of all farmers from the jails who were arrested during the protest, compensation to the families of farmers who died during the protest, cancellation of all the cases registered against the farmers by different state governments and in the national capital and also promised that the Electricity (Amendment) Bill would not be moved in the parliament.
“The farm bodies might not accept it, but division within the organisations has pushed issues to the back burner. The farm organisations are busy in setting their house in order, and the issues that the Centre promised to resolve are pending,” said BKU (Dakaunda) Jagmohan Singh.
These farm bodies, which have faced revolt within their organisations, played a key role during the year-long protest. Ultra-left BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) claims the largest support base and led the protest at the Tikri border, all by itself, when all the other farm organisations were squatting at the Singhu border. Balbir Singh Rajewal, the leader of BKU (Rajewal), became the face of farm protest, while BKU (Dakaunda), played the role of keeping the farm organisations united. BKU (Sidhupur), one of the oldest farm organisations out of which many farm bodies had emerged, contributed by bringing in the experience of protest politics.
Jagmohan Singh blamed the new generation entering into farm politics are aspirational, lacking ideology and wanting to scale the ladder faster than those who recruited them. “The young leaders blame the seniors for slow peddling of the issues and being mixed up with the powers that be,” he added.
Jagmohan added that a committee on MSP as a legal right is still to be constituted, farm leaders still have criminal cases pending against them registered by Delhi police, some farmers arrested during the protest are still in jails, no compensation has been disbursed, and the Centre has tabled the Electricity (Amendment) Bill in the parliament for privatisation in the power sector.
Ashutosh Kumar, head of the political science department at Panjab University, said that farm laws were repealed when farm bodies stood united, but now, they are a divided house, and the pending issues have been put in the cold basket.
“They (farm leaders) are egoist, have no organisational ideology that keeps them together, and their support base is always changing sides. The farm bodies are co-opted by the political parties. The majority of the farm leaders are not farmers, and they are here to be into politics only,” Ashutosh added. He said, the farm leaders to put up a united front and stay focused to make the Centre accept all the farmer-centric demands.
Nine-member committee falls apart
A nine-member committee constituted by SKM to negotiate with the Centre over the farmers’ issues after the three laws were repealed has also fallen apart.
At the time of its constitution Joginder Singh Ugrahan, Balbir Singh Rajewal, Yogendra Yadav, Dashan Pal, Gurnam Singh Charuni, Shiv Kumar Kakka, Jageet Singh Dallewal, Hannan Mollah, and Yudhvir Singh were included as members. But six members have disassociated themselves from the committee due to which it has failed to initiate talks with the Centre, even after 15 months have passed since the farm laws were repealed.
Efforts on to re-launch Morcha
SKM is planning a one-day protest outside the Parliament on March 20 to press for the farmers’ demands and rebuild the morcha. According to Jagmohan Singh, it would be a show of strength and would lead to a bigger protest.
“The young leaders are breaking away and forming separate groups. It is very unfortunate and will not benefit the peasantry. We are starting meetings with all the farm body leaders to keep the flock together and focused,” said Balbir Singh Rajewal.
