Why Punjab Is Angry

As the farmers of India’s premier agricultural state protest strongly against central farm reforms, the Opposition unites behind them to challenge the Modi government

- Raj Chengappa And Anilesh S. Mahajan

FOR MUCH OF HIS FIRST TERM AS PRIME MINISTER, Narendra Modi seemed content with incremental reforms in agriculture. His critics charged him with using only an air rifle to target the changes needed. A year into his second stint, in the middle of a raging Covid-19 pandemic, Modi saw an opportunity in adversity to accelerate the reform process. This time, he pulled out a bazooka and fired a salvo of ordinances in June 2020, which he believed would bring about Farm Revolution 2.0. These included lifting restrictions binding farmers to sell their produce only in state-regulated mandis, easing the way for the corporate sector to engage in contract farming and knocking out the outdated Essential Commodities Act.

The recoil came only in September when his government rammed the ordinances through Parliament to turn them into law. It was strong and from unexpected quarters. First, his food (processing) minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal quit in a huff, and her party, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), with a strong base in Punjab and a close ally of the BJP for decades, decided to exit the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Soon after, Punjab itself, where farmers had spearheaded Green Revolution 1.0, went up in revolt. The state government, led by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, passed laws in the state legislature that negated two of the new centrals acts pertaining to marketing and contract farming. Other Congress-ruled states followed suit, with Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh moving legislations in their respective assemblies to undo the key portions of the law.