Farm bills spark protests in Punjab and Haryana
INDIA’S president last Sunday (27) approved three controversial agricultural bills as angry farmers took to the streets and blocked roads and railways across the country last Friday (25) as they say the new law will benefit only big corporates.
Under the new laws, passed by parliament in chaotic scenes on September 20, farmers no longer have to sell to state-controlled markets at fixed prices, instead, they can supply their produce to any buyer they choose, without the need for middlemen.
Prime minister Narendra Modi said the legislation would achieve a “complete transformation of the agriculture sector” and empower “tens of millions of farmers”, while encouraging much-needed investment and modernisation.
Critics, however, say the changes will leave farmers at the mercy of large corporations by taking away their bargaining power.
Last Friday, hundreds of farmers from the northern states of Punjab and Haryana – the biggest producers of wheat and rice – blocked highways and railway tracks, shouting anti-government slogans.
Protesters sat on the roadside with placards in Punjab, where many shops and business establishments were shut. In Karnataka state, farmers stopped the entry of vehicles on the borders of IT hub Bangalore.
More than 100 farmer unions took part, although coronavirus fears were keeping some people away.
Bhupinder Singh Mann, president of the All India Kisan Coordination Committee said, “The government is trying to exploit the farmers, they don’t care about us,” Mann said.
The plight of farmers is a major political issue in India, with some 70 per cent of rural households depending on agriculture, and thousands of farmers killing themselves because of debt and drought.