It’s back to the drawing board for the center as farmers protesting at Delhi-Haryana-Singhu border unanimously rejected the proposal sent by the government yesterday. With this rejection, the farmer’s protest at the border has entered its 14th day today. There have been 5 rounds of inconclusive talks between the center and the farmer’s union leaders without a breakthrough. 

Mending the way with Amendments

The government earlier sent a proposal among the leaders, offering the amendment of 7 issues. They also tried to appease the leaders with a written assurance of inclusion of minimum support price, an issue that the farmer’s union were the most distressed with earlier. 

The proposal also promised that the farmer’s will be allowed to take to the court for resolution of any dispute that may arise, instead of going to the magistrate as penned down in the bill earlier.

To alleviate the suspicions farmers had over bigger corporations taking over their lands, the center promised the farmers that no buyer will be able to take a loan against the farmlands and the farmers will not be put under any such condition.

Another understandable apprehension of the farmers was that the traders would be able to exploit them since in the free market there would not be a registration of traders and all the purchases could be made based on pan card. To squash this fear, the government promised an amendment that will ensure that all the traders would have to be verified and registered under the government portal.

Additionally, the center has also agreed to put an end to all the cases against the farmer and the farmer leaders that were registered during the entirety of the protest 

While Ashwani Sharma, Punjab BJP chief labeled the rejection of the new proposal “unfortunate” and urged the farmers to revisit their decision, Shiromani Akali Dal, which has been on the frontfoot for the farmer’s protest earlier disassociated itself from National Democratic Alliance after the three laws were passed, asked the center to withdraw the three laws unconditionally. The dal believes that the proposal is a diversionary tactic which was rightfully dismissed.  

Bandh & Boycott; The only way through?

The farmers now have announced a nationwide protest in the form of bandh on December 14th. The farmers have called out the boycott of Adani and Ambani products, that are allegedly the source of revenue for the current ruling party BJP. 

Farmer leader Dr. Darshan Pal announced that farmers and farmer union leaders will port their JIO sim and will be boycotting establishments and services “owned by Adani and Ambani”. He also urged people to port out and take part in the protest in their own way.

Pal announced that the farmer’s unions will block the Delhi-Jaipur highway by December 12th and will sit on dharna on all the toll plazas spread across the highway. 

Additionally, the farmers are also set to take to the district headquarters of BJP and continue their agitation by protesting around the headquarters. 

The farmer leader Darshan Pal in his interview with independent journalist Faye D’souza said that this movement has transformed from a farmer’s movement to a people’s movement. With millions of farmers across India coming together in exercising their right against injustice in a peaceful way and millions of citizens standing with the farmers in solidarity on social media, the Farmer’s Protest is one of the largest organized protest in modern India.