Why India’s farmers are revolting against PM Modi

NEW DELHI (AP) – A sea of ​​tens of thousands of farmers riding tractors and horses has invaded India’s historic Red Fort this week – a dramatic escalation of their protests, which represent a major challenge for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.

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

WHO IS PROTESTING?

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

Because of the demographics of Punjab and Haryana, many of the protesters in New Delhi are from the Sikh religious minority in India, although their complaints are rooted in economic, not religious, issues. Protests are also taking place in other parts of the country among Indians of other origins.

In recent weeks, people who are not farmers have also joined, and the protests gained momentum in November, when farmers tried to march to New Delhi, but were stopped by the police. Since then, they have vowed to crouch on the edge of the city until the laws are repealed.

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WHAT ARE YOUR CONCERNS?

At the heart of these protests are Indian farmers’ fears that government measures to introduce market reforms in the agricultural sector will make them poorer – at a time when they are already frustrated by the decline of their influence while the government intends to transform the India into a hub for global corporations.

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

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

Farmers also fear that the legislation indicates that the government is moving away from a system in which the overwhelming majority of farmers sell only to government-authorized markets. They fear 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 was created to give farmers more choice about who to sell their products to.

The provisions of the legislation also prevent farmers from taking contractual disputes to the courts, leaving them without independent means of redress beyond the bureaucrats appointed by the government.

These perceived threats to their income terrify Indian farmers, who are mostly smallholders: a staggering 68% of them own less than 1 hectare of land. In some states, farming families earn only 20,000 rupees ($ 271) on average annually. ___

WHY ARE THESE PROTESES MEANINGFUL?

Farmers form India’s most influential electoral bloc – and are often romanticized as the heart and soul of the nation.

Politicians have long considered it unwise to alienate them, and farmers are also particularly important to Modi’s base. Northern Haryana and a few other states with large populations of farmers are governed by their party.

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

The protests against Modi’s government are the biggest since he came to power in 2014. They come at a time when the country’s economy has stagnated, social conflicts have escalated, protests against laws that some consider discriminatory have arisen and the government has been questioned your response to the coronavirus pandemic.

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WHAT IS THE GOVERNMENT SAYING?

Modi’s government says the legislation will benefit farmers by increasing production through private investment.

The government offered to change the laws and suspend implementation for 18 months – but that did not satisfy farmers who want a total repeal.

Modi’s government also initially tried to discredit Sikh farmers, dismissing their concerns as motivated by religious nationalism. Some leaders of Modi’s party 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 saw a growing wave of Hindu nationalism that angered minority groups, mainly Muslims. Some leaders of Modi’s party and India’s independent TV channels, who have long favored the government’s Hindu nationalist policies, call farmers “anti-nationals”, a label often given to those who criticize Modi or his policies.

But these allegations seem to have backfired, further irritating farmers, many of whom family members serve in the Indian army, police and civil service. Since then, ordinary citizens have also joined them and the protests have gained momentum.

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WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR MODI?

Although this is a major challenge for his government, Modi’s popularity is still growing and his approval ratings remain high because of his Hindu-nationalist policies.

Many agricultural experts agree that the Indian agricultural sector needs reform, but they question how the Modi government introduced laws and corporate involvement in agriculture.

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

Critics also highlight what they see as the Modi government’s tendency to promote reform without building consensus. When the laws were passed in Parliament, Modi’s party refused to extend the debate, despite repeated opposition requests. It also denied referring the laws to a special committee, where members could discuss them later.