Why Indian farmers are revolting against Prime Minister Modi

NEW DELHI (AP) – A sea of ​​tens of thousands of farmers riding tractors and horses stormed the history of India’s Red Fort this week – a dramatic escalation of their protests, which is a major challenge for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.

The AP explains what is at the heart of two months of demonstrations and what it means for Modi’s government.

WHO PROTESTS?

Most of the protesters are farmers in northern Punjab and Haryana, the two largest agricultural producers. They are calling for the repeal of laws passed by Parliament in September, which they say will favor large farms, destroy the profits of many farmers and leave those who own small plots while large corporations win. Modi billed the laws as necessary for the modernization of Indian agriculture.

Because of the demographics in Punjab and Haryana, many of the protesters in New Delhi come from India’s minority Sikh religion, although their grievances are rooted in economic issues, not religious ones. Protests are taking place in other parts of the country among Indians from other backgrounds.

In recent weeks, non-farmers have also joined, and protests erupted in November, when farmers tried to go to New Delhi but were stopped by police. Since then, they have promised to fall on the outskirts of the city until the laws are repealed.

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What are their concerns?

At the heart of these protests are fears of Indian farmers that government action to introduce market reforms in the agricultural sector will make them poorer – at a time when they are already frustrated by their declining influence as the government aims to turn India into a -a hub for global corporations.

The new legislation is unclear whether the government will continue to guarantee prices for certain essential crops – a system that was introduced in the 1960s to help India strengthen its food reserves and prevent shortages.

Although the government has said it is willing to commit that guaranteed prices will continue, farmers are skeptical and want new legislation saying such prices are their legal right.

Farmers also fear that the legislation indicates that the government is moving away from a system in which an overwhelming majority of farmers sell only to government-sanctioned markets. He worries that this will leave them at the mercy of corporations that will no longer have any legal obligation to pay them the guaranteed price.

The government says this is designed to give farmers more options on who to sell their produce to.

The clauses in the legislation also prevent farmers from taking contractual disputes to court, leaving them without independent means of redress other than government-appointed bureaucrats.

These perceived threats to their incomes terrify Indian farmers, who are mostly small farmers: 68% of them own less than 1 hectare of land. In some states, farming families earn an average of only 20,000 rupees ($ 271) a year. ___

WHY ARE THESE PROTESTS SIGNIFICANT?

Farmers form the most influential voting bloc in India – and are often romanticized as the heart and soul of the nation.

Politicians have long considered it unwise to alienate them, and farmers are also particularly important to Modi’s base. Northern Haryana and several other states with substantial farming populations are led by his party.

Since the law was passed, Modi’s government has lost two political alliance partners and some of its leaders are warning it to tread carefully.

Protests against the Modi government are the largest since he first came to power in 2014. They come at a time when the country’s economy has overtaken, social conflicts have spread, there have been protests against the laws that some consider discriminatory and the government has questioned its response to the coronavirus pandemic.

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WHAT DOES THE GOVERNMENT SAY?

The Modi government says the legislation will benefit farmers by increasing production through private investment.

The government has offered to change the laws and suspend their implementation for 18 months – but that has not satisfied farmers who want a complete repeal.

Modi’s government also initially tried to discredit Sikh farmers, rejecting their concerns motivated by religious nationalism. Some Modi party leaders called them “Khalistanis”, a reference to a movement for an independent Sikh homeland called “Khalistan” in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Under Modi, India has seen a surge in the wave of Hindu nationalism, which has angered mostly Muslim minority groups. Some leaders of the Modi party and India’s Indian television channels, which have long favored the government’s Hindu nationalist policies, called farmers “anti-national”, a label often given to those who criticized Modi or his policies.

But such accusations seem to have turned upside down, further upsetting farmers, many of whose family members serve in the Indian army, police and public service. Since then, ordinary citizens have joined them, and protests have gained momentum.

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WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR WAYS?

Although this is a major challenge for his government, Modi’s popularity is still growing, and his approval rating remains high due to his Hindu-nationalist policies.

Many agricultural experts agree that the Indian agricultural sector needs reforms, but question how the Modi government has introduced laws and corporate involvement in agriculture.

“Leaving farmers at the mercy of the markets would be like a death sentence for them,” said Devinder Sharma, an agriculture expert who has spent the past two decades campaigning for equal income for Indian farmers. “We’re talking about people who feed us.”

Critics also point to what they see as the Modi government’s tendency to promote reforms without building consensus. When the laws were passed in Parliament, Modi’s party refused to extend the debate on it, despite repeated calls from the opposition. He also denied sending the laws to a special committee, where members could discuss them further.