While Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s fresh outreach to the agitating farmers is a welcome move, what stands out prominently in the continued standoff over the farm Acts is the widening trust deficit. The pious homilies and empty assurances have stopped having any impact on the protesting farmers who have been bearing the brunt of repeated attempts by the ruling party leaders to dub their agitation as an anti-national activity. Now, the onus is on the Prime Minister to bridge this trust deficit by going beyond mere assurances and engaging directly with farmers. There was nothing new in Modi’s appeal, made from the floor of the Rajya Sabha while replying to the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address, for giving agricultural reforms a chance and his call for ending the agitation. His assurance on continuing the Minimum Support Price (MSP) regime has failed to assuage the ruffled feathers of the protestors who want a legal guarantee for it apart from the complete repeal of the controversial laws. A major concern on the new farm laws is that they will pave the way for the removal of the government’s guarantee of MSP for produce. The PM’s outreach, though with certain riders and sharp jibes at the opposition, comes at a time when the agitation, which began at Delhi’s borders in November, is regaining momentum after the January 26 disturbances and hogging international headlines following several celebrities coming out in support of the farmers’ cause.
The government’s strategy to queer the pitch for the protesters by suspending the internet, installing concrete barriers and concertina wires, and embedding nails into roads has clearly backfired, inviting the ire of global celebrities. To begin with, the three contentious laws were unilaterally passed by Parliament in undue haste. As if this was not enough, the Prime Minister made an insinuation that the protesters were being misled by the new ‘FDI (foreign destructive ideology)’ and warned the country against the ‘andolan jivi’, the elements who are ready to jump into any protest, be it of the farmers, lawyers or students. This was quite uncalled for. Sensing a conspiracy behind every anti-government demonstration is not how democracy functions. If Modi had personally led the talks with the representatives of farmer associations, things would have calmed down and a middle ground could have been worked out. Unfortunately, he was conspicuous by his absence from various rounds of negotiations between the government and the farm bodies. Though the Centre has offered to put the laws on hold for 18 months, it has remained non-committal on the key demand of legalising MSP. The onus is now on the Prime Minister to walk that extra mile and help resolve the issue.
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