DIGGING THEIR HEELS IN

The government has tried to wear out the protesting farmers, but they refuse to budge

- PRATUL SHARMA

In the sixth edition of Mann Ki Baat, in March 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured farmers that their interests would be protected under the amended land acquisition bill, which had been passed in the Lok Sabha a few days earlier. The bill, an improvement over the one passed by the United Progressive Alliance government, was to make land acquisition easy for the creation of infrastructure. But as farmers’ protest grew, and with the opposition pitching in, Modi, in the eleventh edition of his popular radio program in August 2015, announced that the legislation would not be ratified. He kept the politically important farmers’ constituency by his side.

On November 29 this year, in the 18th edition of Mann Ki Baat 2.0, Modi reassured farmers of the benefits of three new laws—the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, the Farmers’ (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act. The farmers persisted with their protest. But, this time, the government, too, has remained adamant as it thinks the laws would increase incomes of farmers countrywide.