We can never repay our farmers

After a year of being abused, attacked and ignored, India’s farmers won their battle. This was one of contemporary India’s most riveting peaceful, public protests. Hundreds of thousands of farmers collected around Delhi asking for their voice to be heard. They wanted the repeal of three controversial farm laws, bulldozed hurriedly through Parliament without discussion, formulated without taking them into confidence.

The Narendra Modi government demonstrated its power of Parliamentary numbers; India’s farmers demonstrated the essence of democracy to an arrogant administration.

The farmers, largely from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, have packed to leave, after they got the laws repealed – in Modi fashion, minus any discussion but repealed nonetheless – and they got a written assurance that their other demands of a minimum support price and a withdrawal of all cases against protesting farmers will also be met.

Not that there is any belief in these promises. The agitation has been suspended, not ended. Unions will meet again mid-January to assess progress on the promises made.

What have we learnt from this one year? From a group of people who sat and waited for their demands to be met. They were consistently provoked by those in power. They were “lathi-charged” which is Indian official speak for being hit by the police with large sticks. They were teargassed and water-cannoned. They were shot at and run over. Public roads were dug up and destroyed by the police, nails were hammered into public roads, all to stop Indian citizens from exercising their democratic right to protest.

Delhi was turned into an independent state within India surrounded by “enemies”. Farmers were not allowed to cross these “borders”. This is not just absurd, this is criminal in a Constitutional democracy.

And then, there were the lies, pushed by the BJP, their brainwashed fan following and their social media “warriors”.

It was persistently repeated that all farmers were extremists pushing for an independent Sikh state, all “Khalistanis”. That all farmers were anti-nationals and criminals. Somewhat more amusing was the enormous right-wing anger that these protesting farmers were educated, spoke English and wore jeans.

This outraged the BJP because their “winning” narrative – in their minds – was that these hundreds and thousands of protesters were uneducated, misguided fools. That the farmers had read and understood the three laws and still opposed them was outside the BJP’s battle plan.

Meanwhile, the farmers themselves had come prepared for the long haul. They had brought provisions and supplies. They were organised and clean. They had regular relay runs so that someone was always in the villages to look after their crops. And then they received enormous outpourings of affection and material from the people who lived around them.

Their very organisation and success outraged the Modi government and its supporters even more. Modi of course in his usual manner gave them the cold shoulder and blabbered on about his own greatness and electioneering. The Covid pandemic raged and even that was used to try and smear the protest even as the Union government’s rank incompetence pushed India to the brink.

The biggest cut came when the international community took note. One tweet from one pop star and support from an environmental activist which alerted the world and the Modi government practically exploded in petulant rage.

Such is the strength of the strongest government on earth! Not only did the Minister of External Affairs throw a public tantrum, a young activist was arrested for using the word “toolkit”. The “shaming” of Rihanna and Greta Thunberg by the Indian media was one more low in seven years of lows.

And so, to two further agencies which were showed up by the farmers. The media and the opposition parties. The bulk of mainstream media found that following the government line had become so ingrained, it was now incapable of either reporting or commenting fairly.

The farmers threw them out and created their own means of communication. And the opposition parties, and I am not discussing their support to farmers or not, because the process of protest which they appear to have lost was demonstrated to them. What was required was steadfast commitment, organisation and solidarity.

And this solidarity was amply demonstrated when it seemed that the protest was flagging a bit. Reinforcements came in from Uttar Pradesh as Rakesh Tikait added his bulk, weight and leadership, going against his earlier support to the BJP and his anti-Muslim rhetoric.

The bigotry of the BJP and the evil incompetence of the Modi government both met their match in this massive protest. The elements were the least of the problems they withstood. You can prepare for the cold, the heat, the wet. But a malevolent bulk that seeks to stamp out your soul?

Our salute to India’s farmers by taking that bulk and winning. We can never repay them.

(Ranjona Banerji is an independent commentator. Views expressed are personal)