March 15, 2021

Day 110

Toll 296

#FarmersProtest

Campaign

It all depends on what is our news feed, what are our channels of information. If you were me, you would be impressed by now with the effort the farmer leaders are putting in the elections and other states. That too without asking for votes themselves.

Tikait has been campaigning tirelessly in Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Bengal. On March 20th he is coming to Karnataka for a Mahapanchayat. Yesterday, I saw Rajewal in a rally in Kolkata. He said they are going to fan out in all 294 Bengal constituencies to carry forward the message: a fistful of rice for every vote. Give us Minimum Support Price.

I keep getting links from friends and family showing me how clearly the world media is calling out the draconian government and its anti-people policies. The farmers protests, today railway employees will join protests, public sector bank employees are on protests, has disrupted and upturned carefully crafted narrative over last seven years. They pull off the veil and lay bare the government’s hypocrisy.

Police has been trying to disrupt the protests – cycle yatra in Tamil Nadu, Dhandi March commemorative in Gujarat. Yet, the tenacious protesters persist. The whole of Uttar Pradesh, much of Bihar and Jharkhand are now lit. As leaders come to south India, given how BJP has bungled with first list seat distribution in Bengal and will in other states, the momentum will continue to grow.

Seriously, what can be a bigger movement than this? What it will achieve, is yet to be seen. I only wish the elections are fair. Many of us suspect they are not. But full marks to farmers for effort and diligence.