Bharat Bandh: What compelled Indian farmers to lead to massive protests?
The farmers have called a 'Bharat-Bandh' today as a massive protest against a few contentious agrarian bills passed by the government. Now it's important that the government should be held accountable for the savage inequality that has gripped the agriculture sector.
In the 1970s, a tonne of Sugarcane fetched 90 rupees, the same as the salary of a teacher. Now the same teacher earns forty-five thousand rupees as salary but, the price of Sugarcane has only raised to two thousand rupees. Do you know Why is that? This was because 95% of the teachers protested every year, they weren’t afraid to go to jail. So, their salary shot up 600 times.
It’s true, that farmers cannot participate in frequent protests like the teachers or other organized sectors simply because they have no fixed income, he can’t afford to go to jail for ten days otherwise, the crops will wither. And this is the reason why in the last five decades when prices of gold have shot up nearly 200 times and agriculture products have witnessed only marginal growth.
The long silence has only strengthened the oppressor to undermine the welfare of the sector that feeds at least 2 out of 3 Indians in some way. For the politicians, the plight of the miserable farmers becomes a matter of concern only when the elections are around the corner. In the end, farmers are left with flashy slogan and a tonne of hyperbole, cursing their fate for the next 5 years.
It’s not just for the farmers to contemplate but for every individual as to why farming has become a synonym for Poverty, why at least 10 farmers kill themselves every day, and why according to the last census of 2011 there are 15 million fewer farmers than in 1995? These agrarian distress does not only affect a particular segment but the society as a whole. The savage inequality is a consequence of the state policies and probably the latest bills will only further this inequality.
A capitalist venture can never quench this economic distress, which the latest bills introduced by the government propose and, a socialist outlook needs to be adopted for the resolution of this agrarian misery. Otherwise, the farmers will simply get further enslaved to debts, and coffin boxes will keep piling up, while the government continues hiding behind ‘on-paper’ policies.
Its high time now, that the government should be held accountable, as to why barely 2% of the annual budget is allocated to the agriculture sectors while contentious bills are passed despite such ill-boding and public outcry.
Now, the time has come to set aside the sentiments of compromise and tolerance for the farmers and unite for what is rightfully owed to them i.e. Equality and prosperity. And, this can only be achieved through a long and strategic protest. Protests, that needs to be held throughout the nation, in a way that has been prescribed in the constitution of India because Violence will only act as a poison for the noble cause.
For the rest of the nation, it’s necessary to quit the intake of spiteful sensationalism that is being fed to you through your screens and come out to show solidarity with your breadwinners. Because right now they need it to keep the protests going.
TSA Is Dedicating Its Space For Bharat Bandh In Support Of The Farmers’ Fight Against The Unjust Laws To read more, use the hashtag #TSAwithFarmers on the website or on our social media accounts.