Why Modi Govt 3.0 is Steering Clear of Protesting Farmers<\/p>\n
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan stated earlier this week that the Supreme Court is currently examining the matter, and its directives will be followed. Chouhan offered a measured response When asked about inviting the protesting farmers for discussions, who have been staging a sit-in at Shambhu and Khanauri along the Punjab-Haryana borders since February last year. The ongoing protests are spearheaded by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM).
\nModi Govt 3.0<\/p>\n
This reflects a shift in the government’s approach to addressing the farmers’ unrest. Unlike its earlier proactive engagement with protesting farm unions during its previous term, the Narendra Modi-led NDA government in its third term appears to be maintaining a more distant stance on the issue.<\/p>\n
During the Modi government\u2019s second term, when farmers protested against the three central farm laws (later repealed) through a year-long sit-in at Delhi\u2019s borders, a team of three Union Ministers\u2014then Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Food Minister Piyush Goyal, and Minister of State for Commerce Som Prakash\u2014conducted 11 rounds of talks with farmer unions between October 14, 2020, and January 22, 2021. On December 8, 2020, Union Home Minister Amit Shah even personally intervened by holding a late-night meeting with farmer leaders at Delhi\u2019s Pusa complex.<\/p>\n
Modi Govt 3.0<\/p>\n
In early February last year, when farmers once again called for a march to Delhi, three Union Ministers\u2014Piyush Goyal, then Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda, and MoS for Home Affairs Nityananda Rai\u2014travelled to Chandigarh to hold two rounds of talks with the protesting farm unions. However, these discussions failed to achieve a resolution.<\/p>\n
Since then, despite the ongoing deadlock, the Centre has avoided direct engagement with the protesting farmers, who are demanding legal recognition for the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of crops and a waiver of farm debts, among other issues.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has extended an open invitation for farmers to meet him every Tuesday and has engaged with some farmer groups. He has also convened a meeting with state Agriculture Ministers, including Punjab\u2019s Gurmeet Singh Khudian, to discuss the state of the agriculture sector. However, he has yet to meet with the protesting farmers.<\/p>\n
The government appears to believe that the decision by then-Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agarwal to invite 29 protesting farm unions to Delhi for their first meeting at Krishi Bhawan on October 14, 2020, inadvertently intensified the protests instead of resolving the issue. The meeting turned into a debacle, as farmer leaders left demanding the presence of Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar. Outside Krishi Bhawan, they tore up copies of the three farm laws and raised slogans. This marked the start of a prolonged agitation, culminating in a farmers’ march to Delhi on November 26, 2020.<\/p>\n
Subsequently, 10 more rounds of discussions were held between the government and farm unions until January 22, 2021. However, these talks yielded no results, as the protesting farmers remained steadfast and continued their blockades at Delhi\u2019s borders. On January 12, 2021, the Supreme Court stayed the implementation of the farm laws and established a four-member committee to review the laws. While Bhupinder Singh Mann, president of the Bhartiya Kisan Union and All India Kisan Coordination Committee, stepped down from the committee, the remaining members\u2014Dr. Parmod Kumar Joshi of the International Food Policy Research Institute, Ashok Gulati, former chairman of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices, and Anil Ghanwat, president of Shetkari Sanghatana\u2014reviewed the laws and submitted their findings to the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, on November 19, 2021, during an address to the nation on Guru Nanak Dev Jayanti, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the repeal of the three farm laws.<\/p>\n
The SKM (non-political) and KMM have been stationed at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders since February 13, 2024, after Haryana police halted their “Dilli Chalo” march, preventing their entry into the state on their way to the national capital.<\/p>\n
Several factors may explain the Centre’s altered approach to handling the current farm agitation. Firstly, the ongoing protest remains confined to the Punjab-Haryana border, lacking the extensive geographical reach of the 2020-21 movement. Secondly, prominent farmer organizations, including the SKM\u2014a coalition of various farm unions from Punjab and other states\u2014have not actively participated in the current protest, although they support its demands. Lastly, unlike the 2020-21 agitation, which was focused on opposing the Centre’s three farm laws, the present movement revolves around multiple demands, some of which were raised previously.<\/p>\n