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.
Denne historien er fra April 01, 2024-utgaven av Outlook.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra April 01, 2024-utgaven av Outlook.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Caste Census: To Conquer Or Conserve?
The caste census is generating heated debate, but even its most ardent proponents are not able to articulate a plan about how to use the resulting data
THE FATEFUL COMEDY
Actor-director Rajat Kapoor talks about adapting Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov into a Hindi play
Mad Hatter
When a leader takes off his topi and holds it in his hands while appealing for votes, it signals something extraordinary
Circle Within Circles
The caste question in Muslims.
Backward March
The Maratha reservation question may continue to mire the next government in the state
The 69% Exception
Quota within quota: lessons to be learned from Tamil Nadu
United Indifference
The perils of tweaking tribal identities
Two Nations, Two Destinies
The widely differing balance of power between the military and civilian leadership in India and Pakistan has significantly impacted democracy in the two countries
Crème de la Crème
The mainstream society thinks reservations are against right to equality. It’s high time they are seen in the context of right to justice.
Fading Folks
The recent SC ruling on sub-classification within the SC and ST categories temporarily lifted the hopes of tribal communities in Jharkhand
