Day 68

Toll 192

#FarmersProtest

Optics of Barricades

We all woke up to the story and pictures in The Telegraph of barricades coming up at the protest sites Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur. They are ominous. Right from Day 1, the protests have evoked in me memories of Operation Blue Star and the anti-Sikh pogrom in 1984. We know what blunders they were but they also showed us how the Sikhs were othered and isolated in this nation – barricaded. Naturally, these barricades reopen that memory.

However, we must notice that this time, as Singhu shook after January 26th, Ghazipur came up in much greater strength. We must note that Shahjahanpur has consolidated. We must know that Tikait averted an ’84 at Ghazipur on January 28th night. These are our gains, not only as Sikhs, but as farmers, as citizens. These are gains against an arrogant, authoritarian regime based not on democracy but populist dictatorship.

First time in 7 years, the protests are against the arrogance of the regime that remained unopposed when it enacted demonetization that knocked of the poor, GST that knocked off the traders, Kashmir that knocked off our moral compass, Citizenship Bill that knocked off our natural rights, Coronavirus lockdown that pushed more than 3 crore migrants workers to walk back home hundreds of kilometers from the cities which they built and where they lived, and much more. The farmers are not only fighting for their lands against corporate takeover. Through this fight the farmers are fighting to preserve the Constitution that the regime has upturned. It is a fight for India.

Coming back to barricades. I am reminded of June 1, 1984 when, a few days before Operation Blue Star, CRPF took position around Darbar Sahib and fired for 11 hours. Later, Lt Gen Brar, who led the Operation, wrote in his book that the intention was to assess the strength of the militants inside the Darbar Sahib Complex. What does that tell us about these barricades?

The role of a barricade is to isolate. But any barricade has two sides. In this case the protest sites and the people of Delhi. Notice, the backs of all these protest sites are open – Singhu to Murthal and beyond, Tikri to Pakoda Chowk and beyond, Ghazipur to UP. I just checked with people on ground. They tell me hundreds of tractors and trollies, carrying youth and women, are arriving at all sites. Many more from Haryana than Panjab. The josh, enthusiasm, on ground is high. No one is worried about barricades. In fact, there is a bit of a relief that Sanghi goons might not be able to enter easily.

That tells us that if the intention of barricades was to scare farmers, it has failed. If it was to prevent the people of Delhi from reaching the protest sites, it is now up to the people of Delhi. The government, which failed to asses the might of the protesters on January 26th, knows it cannot ever measure it, now wants to assess the might of the people of Delhi.

At the same time, Internet connections at sites are downed from time to time, twitter accounts of Tractor2Twitter, Caravan India, Kisan Ekta Morcha, and many others are suspended. As I said yesterday, would each of us, without up-to-date knowledge, remain resolute in pushing for repeal of Farm Laws and legalising MSP? That is what the optics of barricades are assessing.

This is flexing of muscles to check if we, the citizens of India, will get scared by trenches, concrete blocks, long nails, concertina wires. Keep your nerves. No one can say anything about an armed attack, but the question is: does the government want to earn infamy like the government in 1984? The farmers know what they are doing, do we know what we are doing?

Arijit Mukherjee is now translating some posts in Bengali. See here …