There was a time in India when people formed a group to support a cause and after the completion of that mission, they went back to their normal lives. Not anymore, and it is evident from the fact that supposedly Farmers’ leaders are now diving into Punjab and UP elections.
Aristocrats of farmers decide to form a political party
The people who once claimed to be fighting for farmers of the country have now set their eyes on the electoral politics of the country. According to various reports available in the public domain, a total of nearly three dozen supposedly farmers unions are set to gather under a political umbrella.
According to a report by Hindustan Times, thirty-two farmers’ organisations have decided to contest next year state assembly election to be held in Punjab. The report refers to the fact that leaders of these fragmented groups held various rounds of marathon deliberations on Thursday and Friday on the issue. 22 out of the 32 unions on 25th December 2021, officially banded together to form a new political party named Samyukt Samaj Morcha under the leadership of farmer leader Balbir Singh Rajewal.
Harmeet Singh of Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) confirmed that these groups will be active in electoral politics. According to him, leaders are sorting their political differences as in the past they have been supporting different political parties. Confirming reconciliation efforts by Unions, he said, “To bring them on a common platform will take time. We are meeting again, for which venue and time will be disclosed later,”
Big leaders are in conflict while real farmers are suffering
Meanwhile, contrasting reports are emerging from the centre stage. While on one hand, these leaders are boasting that they won’t be supporting any political party, while on the other hand, Arvind Kejriwal led AAM AADMI PARTY (AAP) is said to have offered support to an upcoming political faction. Some Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) leaders also looked keen to support AAP instead of forming their own political front.
As the election chessboard is waiting for ‘farm leaders’, real farmers of the country are feeling bewildered and lost. These are the same farm leaders who had held the whole country hostage for more than a year.
Farm laws and drama surrounding them
Reported extensively by the TFI, these leaders surfaced in the public domain with the announcement that they are fighting for the rights of farmers. Their main bone of contention was liberalised farm laws. Firstly, they put forward their contentions behind certain provisions of the farm laws. Along with their contentions, they suggested some reforms in these provisions.
Read more: Protests and manufactured malice aside, the new farm laws will end India’s “hunger” problem
These farmers’ real intentions came to the fore when the Modi government actually listened to them. The government was ready to either remove or reform contentious provisions of these laws. However, these leaders did not budge and started to put forth new demands. The new demand was total repealing of new laws. Lastly, the Modi government decided to repeal the laws.
Read more: By repealing the farm laws, what is PM Modi actually trying to do?
During their one-year protest, they established a virtual city running their own rules and regulations as well as infrastructural facilities including hotels, restaurants, and pizza stores. At the same time, a vast majority of farmers were suffering from extreme poverty as they were not allowed by these farm unions to sell their crops in open markets.
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Farmers’ suicides in Maharashtra are constantly ignored by these ‘leaders’
Recently, Vijay Wadettiwar, Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Minister of Maharashtra informed that a total of 1,076 have committed suicide in the state during the last five months. Successive reports by NCRB have also revealed that Maharashtra has become one of the top farmers’ suicide hotspots of the country.
Read more: For the first time, a government in India is trying to differentiate real farmers from fake farmers
However, these self-appointed representatives of farmers do not seem to have anything to do with suicides in Maharashtra. Their eyes are set on next year’s assembly elections in UP and Punjab. Farmers of Maharashtra who were already fed up with politicians picking up their issues only during election times; are now facing the absurd reality that their own leaders will also wait for elections to represent them.
Read more: It was never about the farm laws and Tikait has proved it
With the repealing of farm laws, these so-called farm leaders have lost their relevance. But, as the old saying goes, “he, who tastes power, won’t ever like to relinquish it”. That is why now they have decided to form a political party.