Day 57
#FarmersProtest
Yesterday, on Gurparb, our PM of ‘Abki Baar Trump Sarkar’ fame – the only elected leader worldwide to campaign for another leader in another country – trolled himself twice. Once, while wishing everyone on the birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh and second by wishing Biden upon taking the oath as US President.
Guru Gobind Singh stood for justice and equality. The current government does not stand for those values. Instead of lip service to the Guru, the government could at least have considered that 145 people have already died in the protests.
How many more does it want to kill?
As far as the US, since a brutal state needs a veneer of civility, Biden and Harris will provide that. In the last few years, the US continued to be what it was, but all that had gone missing was that the naked entitlement of white America was revealed to the world. Now it will seem more mixed race but otherwise things will continue as were: wars around the world, some measure of stability inside the US, neo-liberal policies in place.
Coming back to India, where farmers pose the greatest threat to neo-liberalism, with 26th January, Republic Day approaching, we are placed on a razor’s edge. It is good that at least this time – unlike when they formed the Committee full of pro-Law supporters – the Supreme Court is not interfering. After all the bending to government it has shown in recent decisions, the Court is trying to redeem itself by asking the Delhi police to decide on the huge Tractor March planned by the farmers. This is how it must be. The simple issue this poses is whether the BJP is only good to win elections, form governments, acquire power or does it have any responsibility towards the people of the nation?
The Delhi police comes under the home ministry. The current home minister’s only abilities on display until now are divide and vitiate the nation. Let us see if he can, for once, decide to not block the farmers. After all, it is the right of the farmers, of the citizens of the nation, to celebrate the day the Constitution came into effect. A Constitution the government has violated when making the Farm Laws. In that sense, it is the people who are upholding the Constitution now, not the government.
Given the recent statement of the IMF head in support of the Laws, it is obvious that beyond the big business interest the government has fulfilled, it has the backing of powers who decide India’s stature in world economy. Which basically means: credit rating and ability to borrow loans not real welfare of the people. If the government goes back on the Laws, it could hurt India in terms of foreign investment. That is why this protest by an estimated 1 million people on January 26th on the outskirts of Delhi is one of the greatest stands in history.
The proposal by the government to farmers yesterday is another gimmick: hold Laws in abeyance, form a smaller committee to discuss. A movement like the current one has been unprecedented and the long wait in the harsh winter is irritating the protesters, especially the youth is bursting with energy. The government knows this and instead repealing the Laws, making MSP mandatory, solving the issue at hand, it is playing on the nerves of the union leadership. This is a clear indication on how far the government is from the people.
I hope the union leaders emerge stronger from today’s meeting amongst themselves. A peaceful farmer march on January 26th will not be a veneer but our civic responsibility.
Tags: Guru Gobind Singh