Stuck at Shambhu border, farmers’ agitation at crossroads

Neeraj Mohan

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New Delhi, February 29

Amidst the prevailing uncertainty surrounding the fate of the ongoing farm agitation, a decline in support from key farmer associations in Punjab and Haryana adds complexity to the situation, pushing protesting farmers back to the barricades.

Mobilising support from farmers and uniting key farmer unions of Punjab and Haryana presents the biggest challenge for leaders of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), who are spearheading the protest. They have struggled to breach the initial barricades set up by the Haryana police at the Shambu border, nearly 260 km away from Delhi’s Singhu border, the epicentre of the successful 2020-21 farmers’ agitation.

Despite the death of young farmer Shubhkaran Singh and injuries to hundreds of farmers from Punjab, after 15 days of agitation, the only achievement seems to be the government’s agreement to procure five crops at MSP for the next five years, provided they are grown instead of paddy and wheat.

Now, all eyes are on the next meeting of the leaders of the farmers’ associations behind the protest, as they will determine the course of action.

Although Union Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda made a significant offer on February 21, just before the scheduled resumption of the farmers’ ‘Dilli Chalo’ march from Haryana borders, expressing the government’s readiness for further discussions on crucial issues such as MSP demands, crop diversification and stubble burning, the response from farmers was lacklustre. However, a week later, there has been no communication from the government regarding the schedule for the meeting.

Leaders of the SKM (non-political) faced a challenge in garnering support from their counterparts in key states such as Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. The Bharatiya Kisan Union (Charuni) from Haryana, which played a crucial role in uniting local farmers and facilitating marches to Delhi borders during the previous phase of the agitation, was notably less active this time.

Additionally, farmers’ unions associated with the SKM, which were instrumental in the 2020-21 agitation, have not openly rallied behind the current protest. Despite sharing similar demands, the SKM appeared more focused on its March 14 rally in Delhi.

Moreover, internal differences among farmer leaders have begun to surface. Leaders of the SKM (NP) and KMM openly stated on Tuesday that they had approached several other farmer unions 13 times in October last year, urging them to join the agitation against the Centre. However, some union leaders labelled them as “inexperienced”, while others were reluctant to join the protest.

On the other hand, this time the Union and Haryana Governments were well-prepared to handle the farmers, and so far they have managed to confine them to the borders of Haryana. However, the only advantage for the farmers lies in how long they can sustain their presence at these borders. Both the state and central governments cannot afford prolonged blockades of key highways leading to Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, particularly with the Lok Sabha elections looming ahead.