Ambala to Delhi: Rally for Anti-Farm Laws 2020!

Introduction

Farm Laws 2020 is the second controversial bill by BJP government after CAA in the same financial year. It is set to benefit the marginal farmers who constitute 86% of total farmers of Indian Agriculture and to the agri-tech start-ups, agri-warehouses, and organized players in the food trade chain. The Laws had led to agitation in some states like Punjab, Haryana, and some parts of Western Uttar Pradesh who are primarily rice and wheat growers. Except for agitation in some of the states, the Farm Laws are progressive and visionary in doubling the income of the marginal farmers.

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Advantages of Farm Laws 2020

  •  The Laws would fulfill the country's expectations and needs for agriculture.
  •  The farmers will be attracted to relatively better crops and their income will naturally increase if the farmers grows expensive crops, and they will also support agricultural growth.
  • The Minimum Support Price won’t be impacted by these Laws instead would help make farmers more advanced. "The MSP was, the MSP is, and in the future, the MSP will continue."
  •  These Laws will also help to export agricultural crops.
As per the Minister of Agriculture, "When these farmers manage to know in advance the fixed price of their produce by some legislation they can do profit farming."[i]

The Laws aim to provide a national structure for agricultural agreements that will protect and enable farmers to engage with agri-business companies, wholesalers, exporters, or major retailers. Through these Laws, farmers will directly link with the major traders and exporters, adding benefit to farming. Those Laws would bring revolutionary improvements to farmers' standard of living. The Laws don’t affect the state APMC also it will make farmers efficient to do business and to sell the crops from anywhere to anywhere.

Disadvantages of the Laws

  • The Farm Laws would hinder the monopoly of APMC marketing yards, thereby allowing sale and purchase of crops outside these state government-regulated marketing yards.
  •  The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill does not give any statutory/ legal backing to MSP. The farmers have nothing to do with the legal system but everything to do with the MSP, a price at which they sell their production; there is no mention of either “MSP” or “Procurement” in the said bill.[ii]
  • The government declares MSPs for crops, but there has been no law mandating the implementation of MSP. 
  •  The only crop where MSP payment has some legal implementation is sugarcane for which FRP is determined, which is due to its pricing being governed by the Sugarcane (Control) Order, 1966 issued under the Essential Commodities Act. 
  •  The new Laws are placing farmers and traders at the mercy of civil servants, rather than the judiciary.

Reasons for Protest

Farmers sell their produce to state-regulated marketing yards at MSP. The Law states that farmers are allowed to trade products outside the physical premises of marketing yards run by a market committee formed under the APMC Acts. The committees are aimed at regulating markets and look upon the farmers. The key reason for the protest is farmers' fear that the Laws would disrupt the market yards system of marketing and hinder the selling of products at MSP. 

Anti-Farm Laws Rally

The farmers from Haryana associated with BKU on Sunday for KISAN PANCHAYAT at historic gurudwara at Mardon Sahib[iii] in Ambala discussing the strategy for their march towards Delhi against 3 agri-marketing laws.

With the slogan ‘Dilli Chalo’ the rally was scheduled from Ambala was set to be deported on Wednesday to reach Delhi by Friday evening. But the protestors didn’t receive permission for a peaceful rally from the DGP. However, Thousands of farmers led by BKU leaders set out for Delhi from Ambala with tractors and trolleys, and motorcycle breaking through 2 barriers on NH-44 on Wednesday.

On National Highways, the Haryana police placed boulders and barricades across the state and sealed its border with Punjab to restrain the farmers to march towards the Capital. The Delhi police too deployed three companies of paramilitary forces at the border with Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.[iv] However, the march from UP remained lukewarm distancing itself to march towards Delhi. On the other hand, more than 2000 farmers from Uttrakhand joined the protest with the president of TKS.

On Thursday, the police used water cannons to stop them, but they broke through the barriers to reaching Kurukshetra. The police also tried to stop the protestor physically preventing them to march ahead. Some of the extraordinary measures to set up blockades on highways, parking buses, trucks, and other large vehicles even dug up trenches to obstruct farmers. Lakhs of farmers headed towards Delhi, the leader of SKM, insisted that their demand is repealing of the 3 farm laws and dropping of Electricity Bill, 2020. The local agitation of farmers is expected at least in 15 states across the nation. 

At the Delhi borders, the farmers were tried to restrain through tear gas shells, water cannons, and batons. After all the tactics tried by all the govt. i.e. State/ Central to stop the farmers to reach Delhi, today the government has allowed the farmers to enter Delhi. The Delhi govt has made arrangements in Nirankari Ground in the Burari area of the City for the farmer's peaceful protest. But the leaders of Rashtriya Kisan Mahasangh have yet not decided whether the farmers will protest in the above-said area or not.

With the protest, a 40-year-old farmer died in Haryana, after his lorry crashed with a truck on the highway. Two others were injured. The Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Tomar  has requested the farmers to end their protest against the farm laws and calling them for talks to resolve the matter and invited the farmers’ organization for another round of talks on 3rd December.[v]


Written by 

Kaushal Modi (Intern at Advicebiz) 

(GLS Law College, Ahmedabad)


[i] https://www.drivetokerala.com/2020/09/farm-bill-benefits-advantages-and.html

[ii] https://blog.finology.in/recent-updates/farm-bill-2020-pros-and-cons

[iii] https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/haryana-farmers-to-carry-out-motorcycle-rallies-in-ambala-before-starting-march-to-delhi/articleshow/79235018.cms

[iv] https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/farm-laws-farmers-begin-march-to-delhi-from-ambala/article33176486.ece

[v] https://scroll.in/latest/979599/farm-laws-protest-haryana-police-claim-they-acted-with-great-restraint-farmers-attacked-first


Disclaimer: This article is the personal opinion of the author. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any Indian Government or any other Government of the world. This article is only opinion and does not render ant personal or professional advice

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