Historic Victory of Farmers

Farmers’ Agitation Brings Modi Govt to its Knees

D Raja, General Secretary, CPI

Modi regime started celebrating the Constitution Day since November 26, 2015 and from that year onwards it continues to do so. It is rather paradoxical that while celebrating Constitution Day, it is trampling upon the Constitution itself by contravening its letter and spirit. Take the example of recent stunning announcement of prime minister Narendra Modi on November 19, 2021 that the government would repeal the three farm laws against which there is a resilient non-violent movement of farmers going on for the last one year. More than 700 farmers died during the movement and disparaging remarks were made against them by prime minister himself, his ministerial colleagues and his party leaders. Was it constitutional for the prime minister to ridicule the farmers by calling them Andolanjeevis, earning their livelihood through agitations, when they were exercising their constitutionally enshrined fundamental right to protest against farm laws passed in the Rajya Sabha by voice vote and by disallowing the demand of several members for actual voting as prescribed in Article 100 of the Constitution? None other than the prime minister had obliquely said that the protesting farmers were guided by FDI (Foreign Destructive Ideology) and many of his ministerial colleagues had dubbed them as Khalistanis, Maoists and anti-nationals. Union minister of state for home affairs Ajay Mishra threatened the agitating farmers menacingly.

Also his aggressive expressions and postures were manifested in his statements. Open threats and narratives were as lethal to their right to protest as the barbed wires and huge nails put on their way. The roads traversed by them were dug to create deep and wide trenches so that they could not move to Delhi and agitate. All such pronouncements and ghastly measures were aimed at demonizing the farmers and very deviously attacking their constitutionally guaranteed rights. Ajay Mishra's son has been arrested after Supreme Court expressed dissatisfaction on the UP government's handling of the killing of several protesting farmers because vehicle of the minister was used to run them over in Lakhimpur Kheri.

What does the Constitution Day mean in the context of murder of agitating farmers and the continuance of minister concerned in the office with impunity? In such circumstances the prime minister announced to withdraw the farm laws and issued a shallow apology. His announcement might have been propelled by BJP's electoral calculus. There could be a partisan objective to salvage his party's image so that it can win next year's elections being held in Punjab, UP, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa.

But it is a truism that the farmers' protest based on B R Ambedkar's electrifying slogan "Educate, Agitate and Organize" weakened the electoral prospects of those who scoffed at their rights guaranteed by the Constitution. In exercising their rights, the farmers have ensured that those ensconced in their powerful positions can be humbled and made to come to their senses. This is the meaning and significance of the Constitution Day which we are celebrating a week after the decision of the prime minister to announce the repeal of farm laws. PM Modi’s televised speech on repealing three farm laws lacks sincerity as he did not apologize for bringing the anti-farmer legislations, instead he apologized for not being able to convince the farmers of the usefulness of these laws. It appeared that he rather apologized to his corporate friends for withdrawing the three farm laws. Nowhere in his speech he referred to guaranteed MSP for crops. PM Modi also promised to form a committee with composition of experts and farmer representatives to recommend ways to improve agrarian sector. There is possibility that government appointed experts may insist on pro-corporate reforms much at the dissatisfaction of the farmer union representatives. The standoff is likely to continue as government is bent on implementation of neo-liberal policies in agriculture dictated by international institutions such as WTO, IMF and World Bank.

Now when we are celebrating the 75th year of India's independence, it is worthwhile to recall one of the important dimensions of Swaraj outlined by Mahatma Gandhi in Young India on January 29, 1925. He wrote, "Real Swaraj will come not by the acquisition of authority by a few but by the acquisition of the capacity by all to resist authority when it is abused. In other words, Swaraj is to be obtained by educating the masses to a sense of their capacity to regulate and control authority." This idea of Swaraj got expression in the Constitution and its several provisions. The parliamentary democracy which is the basic structure of the Constitution mandates to regulate the government by making it accountable to the legislature which represents the sovereign will of the people. India being a Union of states is best governed through following the spirit of federalism but Modi government has not adhered to federal principles and has always attempted at centralizing power.

This unidimensional flow of power led to several state assemblies passing resolutions against the farm laws. The non-violent farmers' movement has emerged as a shining example of people's capacity to regulate the Modi government's majoritarian arrogance which remained the factor behind the enactment of farm laws without following the procedure of consulting all stakeholders for making law.

The farmers’ movement emerged unitedly across the country having the support of trade unions, agricultural labourers, women, youth, students, other civil society organisations  and political parties. The country witnessed the unity of peasantry and working classes from both formal and informal sectors. The recent articulations of national security advisor Ajit Doval that civil society is the “new frontier of war” speaks volumes for the threat posed by people occupying high positions to the Constitution. In saying that civil society is the “new frontier of war” he is endangering the idea embodied in the phrase "We the People" who adopted, enacted and gave to ourselves the Constitution. In targeting the civil society, we the people are being assaulted. This attack on civil society is a war on people. It has been going on since 2014. When protests against Citizenship Amendment Act erupted in UP, its chief minister Yogi Adityanath made a shocking statement that he and his government would take revenge. In saying so he was taking revenge against the very Constitution which provides the fundamental right to protest.

The resilient farmers' protest represented not only their interests but also the larger cause of defending the Constitution, democracy and our secularism. Such a peaceful and non-violent year-long protest while targeting farm laws and defending our Constitution has called the bluff associated with polarized politics which tragically brought electoral dividends to Modi regime. Modi wants to enhance its narrow electoral prospects by repealing farm laws. It is the real motivating factor behind prime minister's announcement to repeal the farm laws. We should be mindful of the larger victory for the farmers. It is a victory as much for Ambedkar's vision anchored in "Educate, Agitate and Organize" as for the Constitution itself, its basic structure and constitutional morality. While celebrating Constitution Day we should be mindful of the larger victory.

The farmers remained unwavering in their commitment for complete repeal of the Farm Laws. CPI whole heartedly congratulates the Farmer’s Movement. The Party also pays homage to all those who sacrificed their lives during the agitation and demands adequate compensation to the grieving families.

While supporting the demands of the united Farmer’s Movement CPI hopes that all political parties will draw lessons from this Farmers Struggle and intensify the united struggle against Labour Codes, Electricity Amendment Bill 2021, CAA-NRC. CPI will intensify its campaign to protect the Republic and the Constitutional values at all cost.