Farmers Movement Archive

Amid farmers protests, a political subplot is brewing

Protests by farmers in Haryana and Punjab over the three controversial farm legislations, marked by road blockades and sporadic incidents of clashes with the police, show no signs of abating. Though both the ruling Congress party and the Opposition Shiromani Akali Dal have come in support of the agitating farmers in the neighbouring Punjab, Jannayak Janta Party, the junior partner in the BJP-led coalition government in Haryana, continues to be at the receiving end of the Opposition and farmers’ ire in the State for supporting the legislations. In a bid to mount pressure on JJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala to step down, seventeen farmers’ unions in Haryana, under the aegis of All India Kisan Sangarsh Co-ordination Committee, tried to lay siege to his residence in Sirsa on Tuesday. It led to a clash with the police, which lobbed teargas shells and water cannons to disperse the protesters. A day later, several farmers’ leaders, including Swaraj India national president Yogendra Yadav, were detained and later released. Unlike SAD that parted ways with the National Democratic Alliance on the matter, Mr. Chautala, who claims the legacy of Chaudhary Devi Lal, one of the country’s biggest farmers leaders, continues to resist the pressure to step down. Caught in a dilemma Though the JJP rejects the protests and the clamour for Mr. Chautala’s resignation as “politically motivated” and aimed at “destabilising the coalition government”, head of Political Science Department of Maharishi Dayanand University, Prof. Rajendra Sharma argues that it is a choice between the devil and the deep blue sea for the party. “Since Chaudhary Devi Lal fought Congress all his life, forming a government with them is out of question for the JJP if it decides to pull out of the coalition. In that event, there is a possibility of a large chunk of party MLAs quitting JJP to support the BJP. Even if JJP manages to hold his flock together, the BJP can continue to run government with the support of the Independents, especially with the party being in power at the Centre as well,” says Prof. Sharma. He adds that, therefore, it makes more political sense for the JJP to continue in the coalition and remain politically relevant. Political climate The JJP’s decision to enter into a post-poll alliance with the BJP, despite campaigning against it during the polls, was seemingly guided by a similar political compulsion. Also, the JJP insiders believe that unlike SAD, which needs to face elections in over a year, the Haryana Assembly elections are four years away and the party could afford to wait-and-watch. JJP spokesperson Deep Kamal Saharan says that the farm legislations are indeed “progressive” and the party hopes the protests to fizzle out gradually with the farmers reaping the benefits of the laws. Political observers and local leaders differ on the possible political repercussions for the JJP for its pro-legislations stand. Haryana Kisan Sabha vice-president, Inderjit Singh, believes that the decisions of the JJP to first support BJP in government formation and now support the farm legislations have angered its core vote bank comprising Jats and farmers. He says the two decisions have the potential to push the party into political oblivion. “A young leader like Mr. Chautala should think long term,” opines Mr. Singh. However, former Haryana Agriculture University professor and political analyst Ram Kanwar says the three farm legislations herald a new era of freedom for the farmers and the JJP could actually benefit in the long run by supporting these laws.

The Hindu

2020-10-10

GURUGRAM