The death and violence in Lakhimpur shows that the farmer movement is now a full-blown political movement. Only politicians blinded by ambition will not acknowledge the violence that was beamed across television screens. The farmers and their objectives will now take a backseat to the ambitions of the politicians. There will be several claimants or owners of the movement now but it also means a sharp turn in the road for both Northern politics and policy.
The objective, repeal of the three Farm Acts, became irrelevant the day the Supreme Court suspended the implementation of these Acts. Now, a political movement runs on emotion and narrative, therefore Lakhimpur is not the end of the conflict. It is actually the beginning—of a political conflict to snatch power from the BJP at the state and central levels. How far it will be successful will depend on the emotional outrage or violence it is able to generate. Every party from the Congress to the Aam Aadmi Party is jockeying to take over the movement, little realizing the damage they are perpetrating on not just the farmers but the Indian economy and the reforms initiated in the last decade. But then power-hungry politicians rarely worry about the death of the common man on their road to glory.
The farmers have always been tools for political leaders, a consolidated voter base that political parties have always tried capture. It does not always work as there is rarely a single issue to make the farmers come together; hence, this movement is so attractive to every political party in the country. The kisan leaders of the ‘60s and ‘70s were honest to acknowledge their constituencies and worked for them as well. While most constituencies are rural in India, it is not as if the farmers’ problems are upfront and center all the time. The farmers’ movement is full of opportunist leaders—and as in the past, the farmers will get used as cannon fodder again.
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A Movement by the Left
The Left parties have created a fairly strong cadre-based grassroot structure in Punjab and Western UP. Also jumping in are opportunist leaders bonded together by their hatred of the Narendra Modi government. The Left parties that are building the farmers’ movement on the ground have found a fertile ground in the North after a long time. They are unlikely to let it go to Johnny-come-latelies such as other opposition parties or even new opportunist leaders.
What this means is that the government is not having a conversation with farmers; it is having a conversation with leaders of the Left parties who do not have representation in the Legislative Assembly or Parliament. They are not interested in any settlement or agreement. Nor do they have any demands. The demand of repealing the laws is an intransigent position, which is neither tenable nor actionable in law or negotiation. One way to repeal the three farm laws is to bring another law, which is more future-oriented and renders the three Acts void or meaningless.
So far, the government was distinguishing between farmer leaders and political parties, not realizing that all the leaders it was speaking to are not farmers but politicians. It is time to bust this myth and unmask these farmers as part of the Left parties they belong to. Another thing that is becoming clear from the recent utterances is that these leaders do not want a solution, they will therefore make such outlandish demands that it becomes impossible for the government to meet them. One of them wanted the Haryana chief minister to resign for the Lakhimpur violence.
The Anti-reform Left
The voters at large must also understand what the agenda of these Left parties is. Is the support coming from just the local Arthiyas or is it also coming from across the border? The Left parties ideologically are against reforms, even the ones that benefit consumers. They were against the computerization of Railways and banks in the ‘80s because it affected their unions.
Their polemics are unclear and their objectives unstable, of course, the instability at the grassroots in India will certainly benefit China. If there is a coalition government at the Centre in which the Left parties have a stake, a political agrarian agitation led by the Left parties can derail all the reforms initiated by the government. What business people do not realize is that the Left is not just against creating a functional market for farmers. They are against market forces of all kinds, market players of all ilk—privatization is anathema to them. If the farm laws are replaced by weaker legislation, it will not be a loss for just the BJP or the central government—it will be the beginning of the reversal of economic reforms.
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Like in the past, when the Anna Hazare anti-corruption movement led to the rise of the AAP in Delhi. While nothing much has changed in terms of corruption, Anna Hazare himself is back in his village. But a new set of leaders are firmly ensconced in the Delhi government. Similarly, a new set of Left leaders are rising and they will succeed in establishing a beachhead in North India on the back of the farmers. This will enable them to influence both politics and policy. The death of farmers and the BJP workers in Lakhimpur shows that for these Left parties, long denied any relevance, identity and support, this is war. In this war, they do not care about the death of their own soldiers or farmers or the common man. The waft of war has floated down from the dying fields of Dantewada to the plains of Ganga.
Farmer, the Ultimate Loser
The political opportunists are sensing a chance in leveraging the Lakhimpur incident for electoral gains. Their myopic vision is only going to lead to furthering the Left parties’ control over the farmers. Yogendra Yadav has already emphasized the need for political power for the farmers. Rakesh Tikait has fought several elections and lost all of them. But now the Congress, the Samajwadi Party and even the AAP see a potential to ride the farmer movement for immediate gains in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. They will do everything in their power to ensure this tragedy and its emotional resonance remains high till elections. Once the elections are over, the parties will leave the farmers. Though it is unlikely that the gains won’t be realized by the opportunists, they are serving the purpose of a new Left political movement that will emerge on the political landscape.
The farmers will not benefit either way: their problems are systemic and the three farm laws were a good way to reform the system, especially the demand-supply mismatch due to government procurement. Whether or not this systemic reform will happen, time will tell. But it is important to reiterate that this is not a farmers’ movement, it is a political movement led and owned by politicians. Hence, it has to be dealt as such. Politicians like to form alliances pre or post elections to gain power and it will happen with these Left forces too. They are ultimately seeking political power, not redressal of farmers’ problem. They are not even interested in the core of the problem. None of their leaders have ever talked about any solution to the problem, they want an impossible status quo or resignation of political leaders. How does that solve the core problem of farmers’ income?
Reforms for the small farmers are a matter of life and death, but political opportunists clearly want to win at any cost. The government must unmask these political opportunists by exposing their objectives and the negative impact on the country.
The author is CEO, Center for Innovation in Public Policy. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the stand of this publication.
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