India’s farmers protests- Morphing of an arcane domestic dispute into an emotive international cause!

 

"Why aren't we talking about the farmers protest?", somebody with 101 million followers somewhere seven seas beyond tweeted and the violent but named 'peaceful' farmer's protest in India altogether gets a new turn! Next, “We stand in solidarity with the #FarmersProtest in India,” tweeted the Swedish teenage activist Greta Thunberg. In a convoluted series of tweets further Harris, an author and entrepreneur, linked the Indian crackdown to last month’s Capitol Hill riot and Donald Trump while railing against 'militant nationalism' and 'fascist dictators'. The demonstrations are no doubt a serious national issue for Modi and his government. 

 

I don't want to comment on who these people are, what are their actual motives, what amount of influencer contract has been signed in between and all. Just one question- Well Modi can be suppose, but is India as a whole really on the wrong track? Does it want the farmers to suffer? Can it afford the farmers to suffer? What do Rihanna, tiny Thunberg and Kamala Harris’s niece, Meena have in common is that they all are rallying support for India’s farmer protests, which are morphing from an arcane domestic dispute into an emotive international cause. And I fear to say this that they’re all mostly wrong in their thinking.

 

 

 

 

There’s nothing wrong with celebrities taking an interest in events half a world away. But when it comes to the farmer protests, celebrity Twitter activism is based on a reductive caricature of complex issues as a face off between farmers and a 'thuggish government' backed by evil corporations. Digging into the details, the moral questions become less clear. Protesting farmers may have understandable fears about their futures, but they come mostly from a relatively privileged minority who benefit from an unsustainable procurement system set up more than 50 years ago. India’s leading experts on agriculture have urged reform for at least two decades. If implemented, the new laws will definitely help many more farmers than they will hurt.

 

 

 

The idea that the government wants to oppress farmers, who make up about half the country’s work force, is absurd. If anything, it’s trying to help them by allowing market forces to generate prosperity. Should the government back down? It has already offered to delay implementation for 18 months to two years. It will mark a major setback for economic reform in India and narrow opportunities for the majorty of Indian farmers, who are not on the streets protesting. Next, what about the environment, Thunberg’s pet issue? India’s current agricultural policies have contributed to an environmental disaster. Free electricity has led farmers in Punjab to lower the water table dangerously by pumping groundwater. Fertilizer subsidies have led to the overuse of urea, poisoning ground water. Every winter, farmers across northern India burn stubble left over from the rice harvest, contributing to the world’s most polluted air.

 

 

 

 

Attached, coming to the violence that exploded in New Delhi on January 26, Republic Day.. it's unforgettable! Tens of thousands of farmers stormed the national capital, battling cops and marring a national celebration. Protesters hoisted a 'religious flag' (Khalistani) on a flagpole at the Red Fort, a symbolic seat of power. One farmer died when his speeding tractor overturned at a barrier, hundreds got injured and thousands were harmed, making the protest bigger as the one in the history. Why didn't these socially concerned, thoughtful people speak up then? Wasn't it as terrifying as they see the farmers protesting for their already given rights? The ancient Indian throne, the Indian flag was insulted on India's one of the national festivals. I am sure every Indian's heart bleeded to watch the scene live on social media where a man with a blue turban was attaking the Delhi Police with sword and then another climed up the Red Fort to put up the flag with Khalistani logo on it.

 

Since late November, tens of thousands of farmers from the states of Punjab and Haryana, have camped on Delhi’s borders to protest new agricultural reforms that reduce the government’s role in procuring produce and encourage the private sector by easing restrictions on contract farming. The standoff still continues between the government and protesters at three sites on Delhi’s borders. Farmers face thousands of police in riot gear behind concrete barriers, coils of barbed wire and iron spikes.