LIKE hundreds of others at the Shambu border, a frail Hardev Singh has turned his tractor into a makeshift tent where he has been spending weeks since farmers started protesting on February 13. Hailing from Punjab’s Moga district, 75-year-old Singh has black flags tied to his red tractor—to rebel. A small-time farmer, he owns a three-acre plot. The shrinking rights of farmers compelled his son to move to Canada.
“We barely get any money for the produce procured from us. We are the annadata. Do we not deserve this minimum guarantee that we are asking? And then we are being called Khalistani,” he says.
When the government awarded the Bharat Ratna to agricultural titans like former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh and Dr MS Swaminathan, it made headlines. However, concerns were also raised about whether the honour actually had a deeper significance or was merely a political tactic to draw voters.
The Bharat Ratna came as thousands of farmers in Punjab renewed their protest seeking several demands, including a legal guarantee for a minimum support price (MSP) for crops based on the MS Swaminathan report. However, these demands remain a distant dream for the farmers while their legends are being given honorary statuses.
As the Opposition INDIA grouping framed its 2024 Lok Sabha poll battle around caste census, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that for him, the four “biggest castes” are the poor, the youth, women and farmers. One would expect that the demands of the farmers are heard, and promises made to them are kept.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة April 01, 2024 من Outlook.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة April 01, 2024 من Outlook.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Layers Of Lear
Director Rajat Kapoor and actor Vinay Pathak's ode to Shakespeare is an experience to behold
Loss and Longing
Memories can be painful, but they also make life more meaningful
Suprabhatham Sub Judice
M.S. Subbulakshmi decided the fate of her memorials a long time ago
Fortress of Desire
A performance titled 'A Streetcart Named Desire', featuring Indian and international artists and performers, explored different desires through an unusual act on a full moon night at the Gwalior Fort
Of Hope and Hopelessness
The body appears as light in Payal Kapadia's film
Ruptured Lives
A visit to Bangladesh in 2010 shaped the author's novel, a sensitively sketched tale of migrants' struggles
The Big Book
The Big Book of Odia Literature is a groundbreaking work that provides readers with a comprehensive introduction to the rich and varied literary traditions of Odisha
How to Refuse the Generous Thief
The poet uses all the available arsenal in English to write the most anti-colonial poetry
The Freedom Compartment
#traindiaries is a photo journal shot in the ladies coaches of Mumbai locals. It explores how women engage and familiarise themselves with spaces by building relationships with complete strangers
Love, Up in the Clouds
Manikbabur Megh is an unusual love story about a man falling for a cloud. Amborish Roychoudhury discusses the process of Manikbabu's creation with actor Chandan Sen and director Abhinandan Banerjee
