Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Dec 25: Apprehensions of the political parties have come true. After forcing the powerful Narendra Modi government to bend and repeal the three contentious farm laws, a section of the farmers unions have decided to jump into electoral politics, to begin with by contesting the coming Punjab Assembly elections.
Despite the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, the umbrella body of the farmers’ unions which spearheaded the 15-month long farmers’ agitation against the contentious farm laws, staying away from political programme, around 22 unions of farmers that were part of the 32-member SKM, have come together and on Saturday decided to float a political unit which it named as “Samyukt Samaj Morcha” (SSM) to take part in Punjab assembly elections.
News of the farmers’ plunge into electoral politics came hours after the SKM categorically ruled out contesting any election at this time. The SKM said it identified itself as a “platform of more than 400 different ideological organisations” and, in the light of lack of consensus amongst those organisations, it would not contest polls.
Clarifying its stand on creating the political front, the SKM distanced itself from the new political outfit SSM and said the name of SKM should not be used in the election campaign. Three farm bodies including BKU (Dakounda) and BKU (Lakhowal) will decide shortly whether to join the party. The new party will be contesting from all 117 seats, farmer leaders confirmed on Saturday.
Punjab (and four other states, including UP) are due to hold elections in February-March. Both states have significant farmer populations, and their votes are being seen as key in deciding if the Congress (in power in Punjab) and the BJP (in power in UP) remain or go.
The political front of the farmers in Punjab will be led by Balbir Singh Rajewal. He said he was under tremendous pressure from the people of Punjab to contest the polls after the three contentious farm laws were withdrawn in a victory of the farmers. Punjab is facing a lot of problems such as drugs, unemployment and the migration of youth from the state which they want to address.
The farm laws, the year-long protest against them and finally the withdrawal of those laws in an announcement made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi set the stage for the Assembly election in Punjab. Farmers’ unions in their major decision to contest this crucial election may seek an alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party, it is being speculated. Any such alliance will be announced later, the farmer leaders said.
Many farm unions, which were part of SKM, the umbrella organisation, decided to stay away from electoral politics. Kirti Kisan Union, Krantikari Kisan Union, BKU-Krantikari, Doaba Sangharsh Committee, BKU-Sidhupur, Kisan Sangharsh Committee and Jai Kisan Andolan are against joining the fray.
The SKM said its main objective was to push for the withdrawal of the farm laws. Gurnam Singh Chaduni, a member of SKM’s core committee, has also floated a political outfit, Samyukta Sangharsh Party, which will contest in the assembly elections.
“SKM (Samyukt Kisan Morcha) was an umbrella body of different groups… we won the agitation (against the farm laws). But, when we returned, there was pressure… if we could win that battle, we can win the election as well…” Harmeet Singh Kadian, the leader of the BKU (Kadian) faction, said. “On public demand we are presenting Samyukt Samaj Morcha,” he said.
“This is a morcha, or movement, not a party because again people from different ideologies have come together… Had we decided earlier to contest polls we would have declared a symbol,” he said. Rajewal, who is expected to lead the SSM, said: “First we have to strengthen our party at the village level… Aam log (common people)… ” he said, as he played down talk of the a SSM-AAP deal; “No negotiation… this is only media speculation,” he said.
The farm laws – passed in September last year – triggered furious protests nationwide. Last month, however, Prime Minister Narendra Modi – in a stunning announcement just three months before the UP and Punjab elections – said the three laws would be withdrawn.
The government’s surprising U-turn – after senior figures, including the Prime Minister, spent months verbally attacking the protesting farmers – raised questions from critics who pointed to the polls. As part of the protest, thousands of farmers from Punjab and UP (as well as Haryana and Rajasthan) had camped on the Delhi borders since November last year. The BJP – in power at the centre and in UP, and hoping to oust the Congress from Punjab – faced massive anger from voters in these states.
The rollback was, therefore, seen as politically key, particularly with a general election due in 2024, and triggered speculation from critics and the opposition that the BJP might try to resuscitate the farm laws after this round of elections – assuming, of course, it has the political capital to do so.
An indication of the speculation might come true was given by the union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar who said in Nagpur on Saturday that the three farm laws could be re-introduced at a later date. Tomar blamed “some people” for the scrapping of the controversial laws – repealed in Parliament with the same lack of debate and discussion that heralded its passing – and then seemed to suggest that all three “black” laws – as they were called by its critics – could re-appear at a later date.
“We brought the agriculture amendment laws. But some people did not like these laws, which, after 70 years after Independence, were a big reform under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership,” the Agriculture Minister said. “But the government is not disappointed… we moved a step back and we will move forward again because farmers are India’s backbone,” he said.
