The protesting farmers hope to send a strong message to the Centre on Friday with a big mobilisation to mark the first anniversary of their siege of the capital while they await a response to their letter to the Prime Minister seeking talks on their remaining demands.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha, which has been providing collective leadership to the movement, sent an open letter to Narendra Modi on Sunday night urging the government to start discussions with them on their six demands.
However, the government has made no effort to reach out to the farmers since Modi’s surprise announcement on November 19 about the three contentious farm laws being repealed during the winter session of Parliament, scheduled from November 29. The government has listed the repeal bill for introduction in Parliament.
The Congress parliamentary party leadership, which met on Thursday under party president Sonia Gandhi, demanded the farm laws’ repeal on the first day of the session.
The BJP has issued a whip to its members in the Rajya Sabha to be present in the House the entire day. However, given that the Opposition is against the three farm laws, the passage of the repeal bill is unlikely to give the BJP any real trouble.
The Congress has also decided to raise the farmers’ demand for a law guaranteeing a minimum support price for every crop.
If the government had hoped to weaken the farmers’ movement, or at least the momentum of the mobilisation for the anniversary programme, with the repeal announcement, it does not seem to have worked.
Farmers have been heading for Delhi’s borders from neighbouring states on tractors, trucks and newly resumed trains to celebrate their victory in getting the government to back down on the farm laws and to reaffirm their determination to fight on till their remaining demands have been met.
In a statement, the Morcha said: “The fact that such a long struggle has to continue is a clear reflection on the insensitivity and arrogance of India’s government towards its toiling citizens.”
It thanked the people who have supported the movement, including the Opposition parties.
Besides the mobilisation at Delhi’s borders, protests have also been lined up elsewhere. These include the blocking of key highways in Karnataka, dharnas at district headquarters in Tamil Nadu, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, tractor rallies in Raipur and Ranchi, and rallies in all the districts of Bengal.
While the farmers were pleasantly surprised by the Prime Minister’s November 19 announcement, the joy at winning this battle has been somewhat clouded by the continuing efforts to malign the movement.
The “godi media” (lapdog media) draws as much anger at the farmers’ protests as the BJP governments at the Centre and in the states, many of which have registered “false cases” against protesting farmers.
