Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Dec 27: About a month ago, officially released pictures showed the people, particularly in the rural areas, crowding around radio and televisions sets and intently listening to the prime minister Narendra Modi’s monthly programme “Mann ki Baat,” broadcast and telecast through almost all the channels on last Sundays of every month. Modi has devised the programme ever since he took over as the prime minister in 2014 and is continuing through his second term for “communicating with the people” with pep talks.
But the last Sunday of 2020 was different. The pictures released by various media houses showed the farmers squatting on the Delhi’s borders and many others in their respective villages and towns beating thalis, drums, tin boxes and every other instruments they could lay their hands on only to create noise “to block” Modi’s “Mann ki Baat” being heard by anyone near them. Demanding repeal of the three contentious farm laws, the farmers refused to listen to the prime minister who has made the government’s stand clear on the issue, “ready to carry out necessary amendments but no repeal.”
Modi, however, refrained from making any reference to the farmers’ agitation in the this Sunday’s “Mann ki Baat” in which he talked about people giving new year wishes to the country in addition to wishing each other, paid tributes to Guru Gobind Singh, suggested people becoming “vocal for local” and several other tit-bits but nothing on the current burning issue, farmers agitation.
But the farmers were simply following the pre-decided programme.
As the protests against the Central government’s contentious new agricultural reforms continue to intensify in the national capital, large groups of farmers at the Singhu and Ghazipur borders on Sunday began banging utensils as soon as Modi began his radio address.
In the morning, large processions of farmers camping along Delhi’s borders were seen marching, while striking utensils and chanting slogans against Modi and the Central government. Farmers protested at Singhu border near Delhi, Faridkot in Punjab and Rohtak in BJP-ruled Haryana.
“PM Modi should talk about (jan) people rather than his ‘Mann ki Baat,’ Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait said.
Thousands of farmers agitating against the three farm laws stayed put at their agitations venues near Delhi unrelenting in their demand of withdrawal of the legislations. The farmers had reached Singhu border over a month ago.
The protesting farmer unions had on Saturday decided to resume their dialogue with the Centre, and proposed December 29 for the next round of talks. They had also decided that a tractor march will be held on Kundli-Manesar-Palwal highway on December 30. Security remained tight at the Delhi borders with hundreds of personnel deployed at Singhu, Ghazipur and Tikri where the farmers have been camping.
Earlier this week, several farmer leaders had appealed to people around the country to join them in boycotting Modi’s radio programme on December 27 by beating ‘thalis’, in the same way the Prime Minister had asked the country to bang utensils during the early days of the Corona-induced lockdown to greet the Corona warriors.
Intensifying their agitation against the new farm laws, farmer unions in Haryana announced that they would continue to allow toll-free movement of vehicles on highways until the Centre accepts their demands. Initially the farmers union had decided to disallow collection of toll taxes for three days till Sunday but with a large number of people taking to the highways daily to stage protests at toll plazas, the agitators today announced to make it free for an indefinite period.
The Haryana BKU president Gurnam Singh Chaduni said, “Today, we went to many toll plazas. There was an opinion of the common man that these toll plazas be made free permanently. In our national executive too, we have decided to make the toll plaza free for the movement of vehicles till the government doesn’t accept our demands. To ensure smooth functioning of agitation at toll plazas, the committees should be formed. The committees consisting of five to 15 members at every toll plaza will talk to the officers, if needed.”
Chaduni also addressed farmers at Makdoli toll plaza on Rohtak-Panipat national highway where the agitators are staging for the past three days.
The Haryana the leaders of the JJP, the alliance partner of the ruing BJP, are acing aggressive protests with farmers gheraoing their residences and offices in different parts of the state. Even the chief minister M L Khattar who had to skip a rally at Ambala earlier again postponed a visit to Bhiwani due to the farmers’ agitation, official sources admitted.
Meanwhile, the defence minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday told farmers that the new farm laws introduced by the government were aimed at continuing the process of agricultural reforms spearheaded initially by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.
The defence minister was addressing a virtual event to celebrate the completion of three years of Jai Ram Thakur government in Himachal Pradesh. During his speech, Rajnath Singh said when he was the agriculture minister in 2003 he had faced challenges in lowering input costs in farming. He said at that time banks charged 14-18% interest on farm loans.
“It surprised me that interest charged on motor vehicle loans was close to 8% but for a productive sector like farming banks were levying 14-18% interest rates on agricultural loans,” Singh said.
“I requested finance minister Jaswant Singh to reduce interest rates for farmers. He was reluctant initially, but after prime minister Vajpayee’s nudge, he agreed to reduce interest rates. Modi’s new laws are aimed at continuing the process of reforms which was introduced by Atal Bihari Vajpayee,” Singh further added.