After disrupting the Indian capital two years ago, farmers are accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government of breaking its commitments.
In the Shambhu border region of India, Balvinder Singh, a 47-year-old farmer from Faridkot district in Punjab, lies in agony on a hospital bed in Patiala, Punjab. Singh, among thousands of farmers marching towards New Delhi, was struck by iron pellets fired by security forces attempting to prevent their entry into Haryana. This action was in protest against the federal policies of Prime Minister Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party.
Singh, who sustained pellet injuries to his body, particularly his left eye, recalls the moment of impact on February 14. While trying to calm agitated young protesters near the border, he was hit without realizing if it was a bullet or another object.
Iron pellets, previously used in crowd control in Indian-administered Kashmir, are now a part of the escalating clash between farmers and the government. The Punjab government reports cases of farmers losing eyesight and sustaining pellet injuries due to Haryana police actions.
Despite criticism of the protests escalating, farmers persist in their demands for a guaranteed minimum support price (MSP) and loan waivers. Tractor trolleys, trucks, and individuals from rural Punjab converge on the Punjab-Haryana highway, aiming to march on the capital.
In Haryana, drones dropping tear gas shells and heavy police barricades illustrate the government’s response. Farmers like Singh stress the need for financial security, especially for crops beyond rice and wheat, as water shortages and market fluctuations intensify their struggles.
The farmers, now treated at the hospital, emphasize the need for dignity and fair compensation. Mota Singh, hit by a rubber bullet, asserts that the protest is about more than crop prices; it’s a demand for lasting dignity and an end to perpetual poverty.
Over 250 farmers’ unions support this protest, emphasizing their main demand for minimum support price legislation to ensure sustainable crop rates and decent earnings. Development economist Jayati Ghosh advocates for extending MSP protection to other crops, providing farmers with financial stability without burdening the government.
Amidst a severe agriculture crisis in India, marked by extreme weather and a declining water table, the demand for MSP legislation gains significance. The sector, contributing nearly a fifth of the country’s GDP, witnesses thousands of farmer suicides annually. Ghosh questions the government’s reluctance to waive farm loans, contrasting it with the routine forgiveness of large corporate debts.
The ongoing farmer protest reflects not only economic struggles but also a broader quest for dignity and fairness in agricultural policies.
