Farmers Movement Archive

Lakhimpur Kheri tragedy hardens battle lines

The Lakhimpur Kheri tragedy was a shocker — for the brutal manner in which four unsuspecting farmers were mowed down by an SUV owned by the Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra, triggering violence that killed four others. And for the arrogance of power it displayed. The Lakhimpur Kheri incident has also given a fillip to the farmers’ movement.The farmers’ protest has been going on for a year now. But it was beginning to lose momentum.So far, apart from Punjab and Haryana, the protest had affected Jats in certain areas of western UP where the Bharatiya Kisan Union, one of the groups leading the movement, and the Rashtriya Lok Dal have a following.Now, the Sikhs who live in the Terai region of UP have also become agitated. This is bound to have a ripple effect. The Sikhs also have a presence in other Assembly constituencies and can tip the poll outcome in closely contested elections.That is why Varun Gandhi, the BJP MP from Pilibhit, has called for immediate arrests and action.As it is, the Gujjar community in UP is annoyed with CM Yogi Adityanath. Last month, he unveiled a statue of one of their iconic figures — the ninth-century king ‘Gujjar Samrat’ Mihir Bhoj — but omitted the prefix ‘Gujjar’ against his name in his speech. He was seen doing this to please the Rajput community to which he belongs. The Rajputs also lay claim to Mihir Bhoj’s lineage.The farmers’ movement will have an impact in the forthcoming elections in UP, Uttarakhand and Punjab. To what extent, it is as yet uncertain. But it has got a new impetus.It’s not just the farmers’ protest which has got a new wind. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has suddenly come into sharper focus. So far, her rallies were being cancelled because of the virtually non-existent Congress’ inability to mobilise crowds. Other Opposition parties like the Samajwadi Party have been unwilling to look at the Congress for an anti-BJP alliance in early 2022 because the Grand Old Party of India brings nothing to the table.Priyanka was quick on her feet as she aggressively took on the police which prevented her from proceeding to Lakhimpur to meet the affected families. She was first detained in Sitapur, then arrested. Later, she accompanied her brother Rahul and two Congress chief ministers — Charanjit Singh Channi of Punjab and Bhupesh Baghel of Chhattisgarh — to commiserate with the affected families in Lakhimpur Kheri.Suddenly, the disarray in the Congress, which had overwhelmed the party over Punjab, was forgotten. The party had managed to seize the initiative again.Priyanka was seen thinking on her feet. She refused to be cowed down. She spoke up for the farmers. And she struck the right political notes.The trouble is that even if Priyanka gets sympathy, the Congress does not have the foot soldiers to come out in its support on the streets or sustain a movement. It had also strongly protested against the gang-rape of a young woman in Hathras, but there was little follow-up. The reason is that it no longer has the necessary organisational muscle.The BJP may also calculate that the revival of Priyanka, and the Congress — but only up to a point — suits it. For, it would confuse the Muslims and, thereby, divide their votes. In West Bengal, the Muslims did not waste their votes and voted only for Mamata Banerjee who was taking on the BJP, and not for the Left parties or the Congress. But UP presents a more complex picture.Lakhimpur Kheri also showed a non-unified Opposition. Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav and BSP’s SC Mishra also set out for Lakhimpur, but were stopped at their residences in Lucknow. The Trinamool Congress team managed to reach there. AAP leaders were also prevented, but they did not acquire as high a profile as did Priyanka.The Opposition may have an opportunity in UP, but it is divided and it is still to pick up steam. A non-unified opposition, it goes without saying, is bound to be at a disadvantage in UP —unless there’s aakrosh running through the state, as opposed to just “dissatisfaction” with the Yogi regime.Yogi was very quick to get an FIR filed against Ajay Mishra’s son Ashish Mishra, alleging murder of the four farmers. Many eyewitnesses are alleged to have seen the son in the driver’s seat of the SUV that killed the farmers.The UP CM also went in for a quick settlement with the affected families, agreeing to pay them Rs 45 lakh each. And the money has apparently reached them.The agreement was brokered by kisan leader Rakesh Tikait who was allowed to go to Lakhimpur while opposition leaders were all stopped.Yogi’s intent was obviously to defuse the situation quickly. This, however, was not the case with Ajay Mishra, who upped the ante and it made the farmers even more angry. This was bound to make things more difficult for Yogi.There are wheels within wheels working inside the BJP.UP is not just about UP alone. It is about winning India. If the BJP does not fare well in the 2022 elections, it will lose steam for the General Election in 2024.And yet — and here lies the catch — it may suit the BJP brass to “just about” winning UP this time. A handsome victory, as in 2017, will go to the credit of Yogi Adityanath. It will strengthen him and Yogi may then begin to eye Delhi. He will certainly act more independently of the high command.As it is, the high command found it difficult to chasten Yogi earlier this year. At one stage, it seemed to have considered replacing the CM. Or, at any rate, curb him by appointing Modi confidant AK Mishra as the Deputy CM. But it had to give up its plan.Yogi is pulling out all stops to tom-tom his achievements with a full-blast ad campaign. For all the resentment against his regime, he hoped to ride the storm. Now comes Lakhimpur to queer the pitch.Beyond the immediate politics are the larger questions that need to be addressed. Should an avowedly democratic government leave a festering issue — the agitating farming community — unaddressed for a year?Is mowing down unsuspecting people — or a “jaisi ki taisi kar denge” or “doh minute mein dekh lenge” rhetoric — the way we will settle differences? Is this what Indian democracy is going to be about?

The Tribune

2021-10-09