NEW DELHI: With the farmers’ protests over the contentious farm laws growing beyond the Delhi borders to across Uttar Pradesh and other states, for almost three months since November 26, there is little hope for the Modi government but to “talk to the farmers,” say top government sources.
The agitation is turning into a political movement pitched against the ruling BJP at the Centre.
The standoff between the farmers and the government has gone on for weeks after the last round of talks, with the protesters focussed on repealing the farm laws, even as the Centre has decided to hold back implementation of the laws for the next 18 months. The Centre is looking to be able to hold a dialogue with the farmers where both sides can clearly highlight the details on why they think the three laws hurt the farmers, according to government sources.
The three farm laws, the government sources say, give the farmers an “option or alternative” from what exists, like APMC, MSP etc, that will continue to prevail and will not be wound up, with the new laws in place. Specifically on MSP, the Centre says it has a commitment to provide the minimum support price for 22 items, and not just paddy and wheat, since 2014, when the Modi government first came into office. The 22 items on the list are the same that were there before 2014. Govt sources further add that the new laws ensure that the farmers have no compulsion on continuing with contract farming, if they find the deal disadvantageous to them at any point during the contracted period.
Asked why the Centre is not ready to provide legal assurances on MSP that the farmers have been demanding, the sources said, that these three laws in question “had nothing to do with MSP.”
The standoff between farmers and the Centre seem to be going in for the long haul as both sides refuse to relent on repealing farm laws. Protests are spreading across the northern states by the day and turning into a full scale political movement, with various opposition parties backing it. How much they will impact electoral decisions, especially in the states where the farmers are protesting already will be clear during polls. Whether the impact is felt in poll-bound states like West Bengal or Tamil Nadu which are situated far from the present protest hubs will determine whether the movement has a pan-India support of the farming community.