Dear Friends,

On BBC World News, last evening. 5.18 mins, English.

Please listen here …

Dear Friends,

my piece in The Wire on Modi announcing yesterday that the government will repeal the draconian Farm Laws. I argue that if BJP intended to use Guru Nanak’s birth anniversary to win Panjab over, they might be disappointed. Farmers believe the victory is through their tireless efforts, Baba Nanak’s blessings and not through the Sangh which carries itself as the arbitrator of religion.

Thank you Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty for the invite to publish. Please read here …

Day 359

Toll 671

People’s Victory

Gurpurb Greetings to all. In a landmark announcement this morning PM Modi announces the repeal of the three draconian Farm Laws.

This is the result of farmers’ tireless struggle. This is a declaration of the victory of the farmers’ protest which in a few days completes a year on Delhi’s borders. The struggle was unprecedented in a country where we are so cynical about political parties, the erosions of systems of the state, even the judiciary. The farmers and labour, old and young, women and men, bore immense assault by the weather, a propaganda machinery by the government. Personally, as I discovered greater ramifications – IMF and WTO backing, Agristack – in moments of doubt, I looked at the eyes of the elder generation to find my strength.

Finally, they prevailed. A victory has been handed to us, let us accept it in all humility. In this nation’s recent history, the erosion of its systems, this is unprecedented. The message is: any set of people, any group, any one who feels oppressed by the government needs to stand up to the powers. Each of us can win. As I type this note, Labour Codes, the Citizenship Amendment Act, the targeting of women, of Dalits, of Adivasis, come to mind.

The fact is, in his entire public life, Modi has never taken back a single decision. Now he has done that. May this open doors for many active resistances. This is a turning point and civil society now has a glorious example to seize the opportunity. We need a million resistances to sustain our nation. May we have the strength to cultivate the solidarities we need to reclaim democracy for the people of the country.

As of now, from PM’s speech, it is clear the laws will be repealed through due democratic process in the Parliament by end of the month. There is mention of Minimum Support Price but not much clarity on it. There are many other issues that affect the agrarian sector that need urgent attention, including fuel price rise, procurement of grains and vegetables – basically 50 years of agrarian neglect in policies. In due course, I sincerely hope, all those issues are addressed.

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha has welcomed this decision and will wait for the announcement to take effect through due parliamentary procedures. SKM also reminds the Prime Minister that the agitation of farmers is not just for the repeal of the three black laws, but also for a statutory guarantee of remunerative prices for all agricultural produce and for all farmers. This important demand of farmers is still pending. So also is the withdrawal of the Electricity Amendment Bill. SKM will take note of all developments, hold its meeting soon and announce further decisions.

Bowing my head to the martyrs of this struggle, may Baba Nanak’s blessings continue to shower on all of us.

Maktoob Media has been kind to publish this piece on their website. See here …

Day 357

Toll 669

Voila

Please tell me how do I make sense of how the ‘powers that be’ treat Panjab?

- For years it is straw & smoke, then voila: all clear.

- For months it is pandemic & terrorists, then voila: Kartarpur corridor.

- For a year Centre does not listen to protests, then voila: CM agrees to all demands.

- For a decade there has been no money, treasury empty, then voila: temporary & contractual employees to be regulated.

- For two decades colleges are running on roughly half strength of lecturers, then voila: we shall hire, test scheduled.

There are many more instances but can anyone tell me why there is not even a semblance of governance in Panjab?

It is through such adhocism, whims and fancies, feudal behaviour that the ‘powers that be’ repeatedly assert how they do not believe in due process, in improving people’s lot, in fact, in democracy.

Day 355

Toll 665

Pollution

Today in the Supreme Court on the matter of Delhi air pollution, the Centre admitted Panjab and paddy stubble burning is a minor polluter. This is a huge validation for farmers. See story.

This is exactly what farmers, farmer unions, have been saying for years. Now you see why the SKM put the fourth demand of farmers on Air Pollution Laws. This is what I said in my book as well.

Will now the media that has spent billions of bytes, people outside Panjab who have sent billions of curses, even acknowledge they were wrong? Even admit it?

In fact, the reverse should happen: all farmers should be paid for growing oxygen when they grow food, in two-three cycles each year.

Day 354

Toll 665

Puranpur

Yesterday morning when we checked, there were plenty rooms available at Pilibhit. When we arrived last night, not one hotel showed rooms available. It was not that media had taken over but most likely administration had barred hotels from giving out rooms. We got place in a marriage palace. Internet signal is very poor.

Here are pictures of the stage at the Nyay Mahapanchayat – Puranpur, Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh.

Posted on November 12, 2021

Day 352

Toll 664

Barricades Update

The matter of farmers blocking roads has been a constant refrain ever since the protests started about a year ago. Complaints have been filed, courts have passed observations, police set up barricades, now a few days back there was news of barricades being removed.

I wanted to understand the ground reality. What I found is: police has acted bare minimally. It has moved some barricades but by no means all of them at all three protest sites – Ghazipur, Singhu, Tikri-Bahadurgarh.

To understand this we need to know that all these roads are multi-laned. Ghazipur is six-laned flyover plus slip roads. Singhu and Tikri-Bahadurgarh are four-laned. At Ghazipur, the farmers have occupied one flyover lane and one slip road. Vehicles, especially ambulances are allowed on slip road. At Singhu and Tikri-Bahadurgarh, farmers have occupied the middle lanes, leaving the other lanes open. Even now, aftar all the noise, it is the police that has blocked other lanes.

Ghazipur: coming from Noida, from Ghaziabad side, Sukhjit Singh and I found four entries to the Delhi-Meerut road blocked. We had to take the older path via tight lanes and Max hospital to reach the protest site. At the site we saw lanes to Delhi blocked. The barricades were open on flyover but to motorists, they looked closed. You know how the zig-zag pattern is created. No motorist will venture that way.

Singhu: we got to Singhu from behind – the KMP expressway. The slip road from expressway to the protest site was barricaded. The main road reaches deep inside protest site and a deviation is created close to stage, where motorists circle 2-3 km to get back on main road. The other side service road is also open. The block is behind the stage where the access to Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee stage is fully closed. The 500 meters path around the barricade and shops is through totally broken road and slush. At Kundli check-post, from Delhi-side the concrete blockade is in place.

Tikri-Bahadurgarh: the barricades are now open 5 feet to allow two-wheeler, autos, cars. Under the Metro line, people are on dividers. Beyond Metro line, people are on middle lanes, both outer lanes have always been open.

I think, like at Shaheen Bagh, jurists should come down to the sites to assess the ground reality. They will then know what farmers are saying is true: it is police, not them, which is harassing the locals.

To Dilliwallas, it really isn’t very difficult to reach the protest sites. Please visit, mark your physical presence. That is what protesters need.

To see pictures, click here …

To see video, click here …

Note: check time stamp on pictures.

Posted on November 11, 2021

Day 351

Toll 664

Singhu

While earlier we saw the rippling muscles and heard the resonant voices, now if you visit, you will see the skeleton and sinews of the protest.

The structures are now second homes. Dwellings, langars, hospitals, toilets, water supply, everything is ready, awaiting the farmers. Now that harvest and sowing is over, SKM has given the call, the protests will be bursting again soon.

To see pictures, click here…

Posted on November 10, 2021

Day 349

Toll 663

Winter Session

While the Narnaund stand-off at the Hansi SP’s office continues, yesterday the Samyukt Kisan Morcha gave a call of large numbers of farmers to reach Delhi’s borders on November 26, Constitution Day, to mark one year of the protests.

From November 29th, as the month-long winter session of the Parliament starts, SKM has decided every day 500 farmers will march into Delhi on tractors to assert their right to protest and raise their demands. The march will be from Tikri and Ghazipur borders every day.

The march will be disciplined and non-violent. The decision is: if police and administration stops the march to Parliament, protesters will protest at the place they are stopped.

The farmers are soon going to complete one year of protest. In spite of all that the cruel weather and the government has thrown at the farmers they have prevailed. The government cannot take them for granted and ignore them. In an RTI filed to learn of minutes of the 11 rounds of meetings with farmers last November to January, the government responded they have no data. In the Parliament the government refused to admit that farmers had died on protest. Current toll being 663, as mentioned above.

Given the huge success of the Farmers Parliament during the Monsoon Session, these month-long marches are a valid way to raise the demand and force the government to repeal the laws.

Fingers crossed!