Not a Singhu 2.0 but farmers’ Shambhu, Khanauri standoff still a force to reckon with
The current agitation led by Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Sarwan Singh Pandher didn’t get a full-fledged support of other key farmer unions, but it prompted the SC to form a panel to study their demands and the Centre to invite them for talks
The farmers’ protest at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders may have been a thorn in the flesh for the Centre, Haryana and Punjab governments over the last one year, but it fails to measure up when compared to the 13-month long agitation at the National Capital’s Singhu border against the three farm laws in 2020-21.
Jagjit Singh Dallewal-led Bharatiya Kisan Union (Sidhupur) and Sarwan Singh Pandher-led Kisan Mazdoor Sangarh Committee (KMSC), under the banner of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (non-political), have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders since February 13 last year, after security forces did not allow them to march to Delhi to press for their demands. Besides a legal guarantee to minimum support price (MSP) on crops, farmers are demanding a debt waiver, pension for farmers and farm labourers, no hike in electricity tariff, withdrawal of police cases and “justice” for the victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence.
While the Singhu stir had seen the entire farming community, along with religious and social organisations, put up a united front against the Narendra Modi-led central government’s decision to bring three farm laws, the current agitation lacks unity and has been marred by one-upmanship by leaders spearheading the agitation.
The current agitation lacks the support of mainstream farm bodies, such as BKU (Ekta-Ughrahan), which claims to have the largest support base in the state, BKU (Rajewal), BKU (Dakounda), and Kirti Kisan Union. Talks for unity at different times remained inconclusive, with the other unions offering solidarity on several occasions but refusing to join at the protest location.
“The two leaders (Dallewal and Pandher) just want us in the background and keep on giving cadre support, which seems impractical,” said BKU (Dakounda) general secretary Jagmohan Singh.
During the Singhu standoff, Dallewal and Pandher had remained on the sidelines and were never part of the core team.
Dallewal emerges the central character
On a hunger strike for the last 80 days, starting November 26, Dallewal has emerged the central character of the current agitation with the central and state agencies continuously monitoring the situation.
BKU (Ekta-Ughrahan) head Joginder Singh Ughrahan said, “We do not support the idea of a hunger strike, our fight is for quality life and that should not come at the cost of someone’s life.” He added that many attempts were made to bring the unions together, but Dallewal and Pandher showed little interest and failed to turn up in three out of four meetings.
A farm expert, not willing to be named, said, “The two protests can never be compared. The previous one had received widespread support while the present one hasn’t been able to draw much attention. But its role can’t be ignored.”
The sit-in, when it began last year, rattled the unity talks between former allies Shiromani Akali Dal and Bharatiya Janata Party, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. This was seen by many as one of the main motives of the protest.
SC panel to suggest agrarian reforms
The protest may not have received the desired response from the society at large, but it prompted the Supreme Court to constitute a five-member committee to study the farmers’ demands and file a report on agrarian reforms. Ahead of the 2024 parliamentary elections, the Congress party promised MSP on all crops in its manifesto. To take the matter forward, the SC committee, led by Justice Nawab Singh (retd), has held meetings with protesters. The committee framed 12 issues for deeper study and the central idea of the report to be finally submitted.
60 lives lost
The protesters have made nearly a dozen unsuccessful attempts to cross the Haryana border to reach Delhi, but each time they were stopped at the border. In the bargain, many protesters were injured and a 21-year-old farmer, Shubhkaran Singh, lost his life on February 21 last year after a bullet hit him at the Khanauri border. In all, 60 farmers have died of different reasons during the agitation in the last one year.
Four rounds of talks remained inconclusive
A central team will meet the protesting farmers on Friday in Chandigarh to discuss their demands. The breakthrough came after a delegation of officials from the Union agriculture ministry, led by joint secretary Priya Ranjan, had met Dallewal last month.
Last year, four rounds of meetings had taken place between the Central ministers and protesting farmers on February 8, 12, 15 and 18, but the talks remained inconclusive, even though MSP guarantee was offered on six crops -- paddy, wheat, maize, moong, sugarcane and mustard. Dallewal and Pandher had turned down the offer.
“We have doubts about the government’s seriousness to resolve the farmers’ matters. It is a big fight. In my opinion, the two bodies will be unable to resolve it,” said Ughrahan.