Day 282
Toll 595
Muzaffarnagar Baki Hai …
The Muzaffarnagar Mahapanchayat tomorrow is already being talked about as the biggest rally of farmers anywhere in the world. The site Muzaffarnagar is important because of its association with 2013 violence. That is when the Sangh had played its dirty game from the platform BKU had offered it. The consequences are BJP’s win in 2014 and consolidation in 2019.
Late January, at the Muzaffarnagar Mahapanchayat, when farmers took the Lota Nun vow (post as first comment), the Tikait brothers had apologised for how they had betrayed the BKU ethos and the Muslim community had agreed to bury the past and come together to fight the BJP. The bridging between communities led to farmers protest recovering and consolidating from the blow dealt it by the government on January 26th.
This rally tomorrow is important because it will signal the farmers’ dissatisfaction and discontent to the regime. There is no doubt about participation. Also, this is just the beginning. Many more rallies are planned in the coming weeks. The issue is will this gathering gain a defined political outlook? While BJP can anyway write-off West Uttar Pradesh, it can still come to power in the state from central and East UP. At 23 crore, UP is a huge state.
The need is that Opposition – Rashtriya Lok Dal, Samajwadi Party, whatever is left of Congress – solidly come together and defeat BJP comprehensively in western, central and eastern UP. Like the protest itself where the farmers’ tenacity has kept the movement going for nine months and leaders have shaped it; political leaders now need to realise the groundswell and use it to defeat BJP.
Let us see what happens.
Map of the site, in Hindi. Blue is rally location, Green is parking, Yellow/Orange langar venues.
Day 281
Toll 595
Paddy Procurement
It really seems the government is unaware of anything like the farmers protest. It seems to me like Indira Gandhi’s wilful blindness when she called for elections after Emergency in 1977. Her advisors had told he she would win, but she was trounced.
The government continues with flawed policies. The new rules issued by the Centre clearly show they want to buy as little as possible paddy on Minimum Support Price. See my post dated March 17, some additional points:
- Broken grain: 25% is accepted. Now reduced to 20% when on ground broken grain is about 35%.
- Discolouration: 5% was allowed, now reduced to 3%.
- Moisture: 15% was allowed, now reduced to 14%.
- Damaged grain: 3% was allowed, now reduced to 2%.
- Red grains: 3% was the limit, now no longer be purchased.
Along with the farmers, the new rules are also being opposed by the Rice Millers’ Association. Even the Panjab government has opposed the new rules.
Meanwhile, the Muzaffarnagar Mahapanchayat on September 5, the day after tomorrow. The one that has sent chills down the government’s non-existent spine. See the stage, this is huge. 31 seconds.
Day 280
Toll 594
Moga Erupts
Farmers from Kirti Kisan Union gathered at Moga, Panjab today to oppose a rally by Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal. The farmers wanted to confront him over SAD’s earlier support to the Farm Laws.
However, police stopped the farmers. This resulted in a skirmish in which police lathi charged farmers and then farmers indulged in stone pelting and chased the police away. We can see a farmer escorting a woman police personnel out of the conflict zone.
Do not worry if you can’t understand the language. See the visuals, they tell the story. I was moved to hear the commentator say at the end: does Badal not know because of him sons of farmers are fighting against each other? Why can’t he stop his rallies for votes?
Very unfortunate!
Video: Duniya TV.