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March 1, 2021 - No. 12
Stand
with Indian Farmers!
Striving of Indian Farmers to Decide
What Happens to Their Produce
- Jaspal
Singh -
Village
meeting in Ganganagar, Rajasthan, February
2021
• Actions for Repeal of
Anti-Farmer Laws Continue
• United Food
and Commercial Workers Canada Stands with
Indian Farmers
• Letter of U.S.
Farmers' Organizations
Stand with
Indian Farmers!
- Jaspal Singh -
Mahapanchayat
(enlarged village meeting) in Barnala, Punjab,
February 21, 2021
The farmers' struggle in India is now entering
its fourth month since
hundreds of thousands converged on the borders
of Delhi in December
2020.
Mahapanchayats (enlarged
village meetings) of farmers are continuing in
different parts of
India. Mahapanchayats are convoked when
there are
serious issues that affect all the villages and
communities. Panchayats,
Khaps, Councils are very old forms which
predate the modern
colonial state and systems of party
government. A speaker at one mahapanchayat
pointed
out that theirs dates back to the times of Raja
Harshvardhan in the seventh
century AD. Others recall that theirs are even
older than that. In the
late fifties in Punjab, mahapanchayats
were held to
prohibit dowry taking by the family of the
groom. Their decisions were
enforced for
many years.
In these mahapanchayats
the farmers in their thousands are discussing
their resolve to keep
fighting for the repeal of the anti-farmer laws
and for providing
minimum support prices with a legal guarantee.
They are also discussing
many other issues such as how the
parties of the ruling elite, which claim to be political, have been dividing them on the basis
of party, religion, caste and other divisive
agendas. At one meeting, a
young woman farmer said that in the old days,
Brahmins used to say that
one has to go through their mediation to have
knowledge of God. Now,
she said, political parties claim that you have
to bring them to power
to get anything done. They have become new
Brahmins, and
most of them are headed by Brahmins, she added.
Talking
about Modi's coining of the word Andolanjeevi
(professional agitator), one of the speakers had
everyone in stitches
saying that by Modi's definition, Hanuman was
the greatest Andolanjeevi.
It refers to the story of Ram, king of Ayodhaya,
whose wife was
abducted by Ravana, King of Lanka. Hanuman lit
Ravana's tail
and set fire to Lanka.
The most important demand
that has emerged in this movement is Faslan
De Faisle Kisan
Karuga, the farmer will make decisions
about his produce. Mahapanchayat
after mahapanchayat is declaring this
demand
loudly. In Punjab, discussions on this demand
have been going on for
quite a while. In 2008 it was discussed
at the World Punjab Conference held in
Jalandhar. Around the same time
this demand was raised in Gujarat with the call
for community control
of the resources of Gujarat. The Narmada
Movement also raised it in the
form of Hamare Gaon Mein Hamara Raj --
Our Rule in
Our Village. In tribal areas it has emerged in
the form of
Pathalgarhi, also a demand that reflects
the
awareness and consciousness that is emerging
that producers should make
decisions about production and this should be
the democracy at work.
Who
decides and who sets the agenda have become central issues of the 21st
century. The ruling elite and their cartel parties claim that they are
entitled to decide what happens to all the natural and human resources
of society. The parliaments, legislatures, judiciaries and governments
are all there to implement an agenda of the ruling elite. People on
the other hand are rising up, affirming their Right to Decide, which
has been usurped by parties which have formed cartels to keep the
people out of power in the state and the institutions of government.
The declaration at mahapanchayats is that Faslan
De Faisle Kisan Karuga represents a
crucial demand of
humanity that is
marginalized from decisions that affect their
lives. Farmers want to
end this marginalization and affirm their Right
to Decide.
The
youth of India, sons and daughters of farmers
and other toilers, have
shown their mettle and have been in the front
ranks with their parents
and grandparents in this fight for what they are
calling their Right to
Be. The disinformation of the ruling elite and
their media claims that
young people have become addicts and/or
careerists. The
youth have completely smashed these lies. The
lyrics of one of the
songs that has come out of this movement
celebrates the youth:
Zindabad Ni Juaniye, Maan Tere Te Saara Hi
Punjab Karda (Long
live the youth, Punjab is proud of you!)
The cartel
parties which form the official opposition are
trying to torpedo the
farmers' movement, joining the bandwagon of the
ruling elite to divide it by holding their own
rallies. They are giving
fiery speeches inside the parliament and
outside. All of a sudden they
are remembering the farmers, against whom they
have
been acting for the last 74 years. But the
farmers are not fooled by
them. It reveals the fight amongst the different
sections of the ruling
elite, they point out as they stick to their
demands.
The farmers' movement in India is inspiring farmers
in Europe, Canada and
other places. In France and Germany, farmers are
protesting against the
chemical farming promoted by the corporations
which dominate what is
called agri-business. They are raising the
banner of sustainable
agriculture.
February 18, 2021. Rail Roko protest blocks
the tracks in Mansa
Food is
prepared by farmers for passengers whose trains are
stopped by the protests
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Throughout the month of February farmers staged
many actions across
India against the farm reforms mandated by
global agri-business,
demanding the withdrawal of the three agriculture
bills pushed through
by the Indian government in September 2020. On
February 6 farmers across India stopped railways
and blocked highways
for four hours to protest against the
anti-farmer laws that the
government has brought in to steal the lands of
farmers to give to the
corporate houses. For travellers on trains
and roads they organized
Langar (community kitchens) so they would not
feel discomfort.
On February
18 farmers again gathered at railway stations
across the country and
blocked train tracks as part of a four-hour
nationwide rail roko
protest against the farm laws.
February
23 was the celebration of the anniversary of the birth of Chacha Ajit Singh, uncle of
Bhagat Singh, leader of the farmers' movement against the British in
1907 called Pagdi Sambhal. The events also honoured Swami Sahajanand
Saraswati, another leader of the farmers at that time. That movement
led to the repeal of British anti-farmer laws.  
February 24 was observed as anti-repression day
by
farmers all across India to protest the arrest
and terrorization of
farmers, their leaders, supporters and children
by police and other
agencies of the state.
February 24, 2021.
Anti-Repression Day protest
February
26 was celebrated as Young
Farmers' Day. On this day,
young farmers and other youth ran the show at
the protests demanding
the repeal of the anti-farm laws. As of
this date the farmers'
protests on the Delhi borders have entered their 93rd day and
protests have spread to all parts of
India. Gatherings and rallies are taking place
in different
parts of the country. Some farmers are planning
a tractor march to
Kolkata and have held mahapanchayats in Bengal. On February 27 the anniversary of
Guru Ravidass was celebrated.
February 26, 2021. Yuva
Kisan Diwas, Young Farmers’ Day, is marked at
the Singhu
Border
of Delhi
Meanwhile, villages have declared that
they will look after the fields and farming
needs of those who are at
the protest camps at the Delhi border. Harvest
combine operators have
announced that they will harvest crops for those
who are at the
protest. Farmers are ready for the long haul.
They have announced that if
need be they are ready to forego
one crop.
Those in the Punjab film and cinema
industry have announced that they will call on
their fans to take part
in the dharnas (sit-in protests) for the coming
summer months. Other
organizations have pledged to donate generators
and coolers. The
expression of social love from all quarters and
directions is
tremendous. It is so powerful that it is felt
by the diaspora thousands of kilometres away.
Two
young women, Nodeep Kaur and Disha Ravi, jailed for supporting the
farmers, declared that they will not stop supporting them, no matter
how much pressure is put on them. Both have now been released on bail.
People across India are saluting their courage and spirit. Several
young farmers arrested on trumped up charges were also released on
bail. Some of them recounted a tale of torture and threats by police,
trying to extract confessions that they were hired by someone to attend
the protest. They said that they told the police that they came of
their own volition and will go back to the protest no matter how much
the police torture them. They stated that after they are released they
are
going straight to the protests.
 
A
woman farmer whose 20-year-old son was shot and
killed by police during
a protest a few days before, said that she, her
family and all farmers
will fight to the end. She called on the youth
to join with their
parents and grandparents with double the vigour.
Times are calling for
great sacrifices to save their lands, hearths
and homes.
At
the protests very informative discussions are
taking place. One of the
speakers pointed out how India was forced to
sign the General Agreement
on Tariffs and Trade and how the World Trade
Organization has pressured
the government to remove the Minimum Support
Prices. The World Bank has
also threatened to recall a loan if these
farm laws are not passed.
 Another
farmer described Contract Farming. He said through this the
corporations will control the price of inputs, as the farmers will sign
the contract to buy all the inputs from the corporations and will sell
their produce to the same corporations according to the terms of the
contract. If there is any dispute, there will be no legal recourse. The
corporation will buy the produce at one price, store it and sell it
back to them at a price 20 to 30 times higher. The example was given of
potatoes. The company buys potatoes at 5 rupees per kilogram, but sells
a bag of chips which uses only one potato to the farmers for 20 rupees,
which is equivalent to them paying 200 rupees for a kilo of potatoes.
Another farmer gave the example of cauliflower, saying that Ambani pays
5 rupees a piece but after storing and packaging sells them back at 200
rupees a piece.
One of the farmers also explained
the new Water Act. Underground water on the
lands will not belong to
the farmers. It will be contracted out to
corporations for "cleaning"
as it has been "polluted by the farmers." So
they will have to pay the
company a license fee to get water from
their own land for
drinking or irrigation.
Farmers also pointed out
that they were fooled by all the institutions
and parties about the
Green Revolution and now they are suffering from
its consequences such
as poisoning of land and water, indebtedness and
suicide. This time they
are not going to be fooled, they said.
In the U.S.,
more than 85 farmers' unions have come out in
support of the farmers'
struggle in India. In a recent statement, they
supported all the
demands of the Indian farmers, recounting their own
experience with the
same corporations and pointing out how the
federal government's policy
had brought ruination to farmers in the U.S.
In
Pakistan, inspired by the farmers' movement in
India, farmers have
carried out a tractor march against high prices.
For a long time small
and marginal farmers have been protesting in
places like Ukara against
their immiseration.
 The
ruling elite in alliance with their foreign mentors and allies see
India as a land full of resources that need to be extracted, packaged
and sold on the world market for maximum profits. They do not see it as
a land of more than a billion people with legitimate claims on society
that need to be fulfilled. The corporate interests covet the land
without acknowledging any obligations. The neo-colonial Indian state
and government are facilitating this land theft, no matter which party
is in power. Just like land theft in Europe, the Americas, Australia
and Africa, the ruling elite is using the state to steal the lands of
hundreds of millions of farmers with the anti-farm corporate laws.
Farmers describe them as their Death Warrants.
The
Indian government is fighting a war of attrition, disinformation,
diversion and deception. It is hoping that the farmers will get
exhausted and run out of steam. In the last 70 years it has used
communal violence and a left-liberal alliance to attack the struggles
of the people at each crucial juncture. Whether in the 1960s, during
the Emergency in the 1970s, in the 1980s and 1990s, the left-liberal
alliance -- calling itself secular -- has saved the ruling elite. Now the
left-liberal parties such as Congress, the Communist Party of India and
the Communist Party of India (Marxist) have lost all credibility. The
Aam Aadmi Party does not have a national presence. The BJP has
discredited itself and splits in the ranks abound.
What
weapon will the ruling elite use next to attack the farmers' movement
that has become a broad people's movement against the ruling elite and
their foreign mentors? Some analysts are suggesting that the ruling
elite will have still more recourse to "politics" of assassination,
criminalization, repression, anarchy and violence after the Bengal and
Tamil Nadu elections in April. People have to be very vigilant, they
say. Others are suggesting that whether the people's movement wins or
is suppressed, the central state has become a huge vacuum cleaner to
siphon resources, and a prison of all the nations, nationalities and
peoples of India. It will collapse in the next couple of decades as a
result of the people's struggle, giving rise to several autonomous and
independent states in the subcontinent, as took place following the
collapse of the Soviet Union. This will give rise to a federation or
confederation of South Asia. One thing is certain: the situation
engenders possibilities for great transformations and empowerment of
the people, as well as devastation and destruction on an unprecedented
scale if the issue of how to activate the human factor/social
consciousness in the form of a human centred raison d'état and
government remains unsolved.
In a statement issued February 12 the United
Food and
Commercial Workers Canada states that the union
"proudly stands in
support of Kisans and farm workers across India
in their call for
sustainable and equitable agricultural laws that
promote food security
and workers' rights in the country."
The statement
goes on to say:
"Over the past few months, Kisans,
farm workers, journalists, and supporters across
India, including trade
union activists, such as Nodeep Kaur, have been
abducted and
aggressively assaulted for simply exercising
their rights. They have
been protesting three new bills that the
government passed
undemocratically, which aim to deregulate
farming and will effectively crush marginal
farmers, known as Kisans.
"Additionally, the new farm laws will steer
farm workers into
greater poverty. Even with guaranteed crop
prices, farm workers were
already unable to earn fair and living wages for
their labour. In fact,
the reforms will impede farm workers' ability to
exercise their right
to freedom of association and further violate
international labour
standards
that India has committed to as a member of the
International Labour
Organization.
"In response to the demonstrations,
state police instigated violent attacks against
protestors. Kisans,
journalists, and union activists who have been
abducted by police are
being tortured and sexually assaulted in
prisons. The Indian government
has since introduced internet blackouts and
social media crackdowns to
prevent journalists from
covering the events.
"UFCW Canada stands united
with national and international labour
advocates, such as the
International Union of Food, Agricultural,
Hotel, Restaurant, Catering,
Tourism, Tobacco, and Allied Workers'
Association (IUF)'s, for
progressive agricultural reforms in India that
also protects the rights
of farm and migrant farm workers' rights in the
country.
"As an organization advocating for food
workers' rights, we denounce the violent attacks
against protestors and
adamantly express our support for Kisans and
farm workers in India and
their collective and urgent calls for justice."
An open letter written by 87 farmers'
organization in the U.S.
supports the fight of Indian farmers. The letter
says of the Indian
farmers:
"Their rallying cry is to repeal the three
unjust laws that were passed without their
knowledge or consultation.
We extend our solidarity to countless farmers
who are peacefully and
boldly standing up for their rights and dignity,
with other farmers
from across the globe."
The farmers' organizations
point out that one of the key demands of the
movement is for farmers to
receive a Minimum Support Price (MSP) --
currently assured for just a
few crops -- for all produce, including
vegetables.
The organizations point out that this is an
important means of ensuring
farmers get a fair price for their
crops. They state:
"The U.S. has been a key
opponent of India's limited use of MSP at the
World Trade Organization
(WTO). The U.S., with Australia, Canada and
European allies, has
claimed that India's MSP distorts trade."
The
letter further states:
"[The] Reagan era furthered the
farm crisis through deliberate federal policy
changes, with systematic
erosion of parity prices and other deregulatory
efforts. "Get big or
get out" has been our government's mantra.
Farmers with the means to
consolidate have been rewarded for growing
monoculture commodities.
Tribal nations and traditional
producers as well as small farmers who have
always practiced or shifted
to diversified agroecological farming have
effectively been subsidizing
the U.S. agriculture sector. It is rare for these
food producers to make
a living without supplemental income.
Unsurprisingly, farm suicides in
rural America are 45 per cent higher than in the
rest of the
population. [...]
"While the U.S. agricultural
sector receives inordinately large support
compared to many countries,
access to that support remains inequitable. In
particular, Black,
Indigenous, Latino, Asian-Pacific and other
people of colour producers,
who lack secure land tenure and are concentrated
in vegetable and
small-scale cattle sectors, have been
excluded historically. Support flows to larger
agri-business farming
operations instead of the independent family
farmers whose voices we
amplify. [...]
"We have great respect for the
unified struggles the farmers and farmworkers of
Samyukt Kisan Morcha
have built, and we stand with them."
(To
access articles individually click on the black
headline.)
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