It has been five years since the farmers’ protest commenced against The Three Farm Bills. The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020 had been passed in Parliament on 20 September 2020, and had gone through the President’s assent, and developed into farm laws on 27 September 2020. Meanwhile from 24 September 2020, farmers started expressing their dissent by blockading railway tracks and highways.
Consequently, the sit-in protest was initiated against the controversial farm laws on the Constitution Day in 2020 at the borders of Delhi and neighbouring states. This unprecedented movement had lasted for a year, enduring extreme weather conditions, the COVID-19 pandemic, and persistent defamation from the government and its media agency. They were labeled as ‘Khalistanis’ and the movement was slammed with allegations of being influenced by Maoists and Naxals, even from the Union Minister, Piyush Goyal.
They were labeled as ‘Khalistanis’ and the movement was slammed with allegations of being influenced by Maoists and Naxals, even from the Union Minister, Piyush Goyal.
On November 19, 2021, the government announced the repeal of all three contentious farm laws, and the key demands of the farmers were acknowledged. Therefore, the protest came to an end in December 2021, but the demand for a legal guarantee for MSP as a committee to be established had not been fulfilled yet. So, Samyukta Kisan Morcha said, ‘it is not the end of the movement, but it is suspended.‘
The farmers still appear resilient with the arrival of 2025. Their demands upon which the government agreed, remain unfulfilled.
In 2021, after a year-long protest, the government had agreed to the following points:
- Withdrawal of all three farm laws.
- Dismissal of Cases registered in connection with the farmers’ protest and stubble burning.
- Creation of a new MSP framework with a committee consisting of state and central officials, agricultural experts, and farmer representatives.
- Compensation of ₹5 lakh per family to the relatives of farmers who died in the protest and offer a job to one family member by the Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh governments.
Farmers’ protest 2.0
With the beginning of The Farmers’ protest 2.0 in February 2024, the government made strict arrangements, including concertina wires, iron and cement barricades, along with heavy deployment of police and paramilitary forces. These warlike preparations were not made for an enemy of the country but rather against our own farmers, whose demands had not been fulfilled by the government, despite making promises over two years ago.
Despite the repeal of the farm laws, even after two years, the government has failed to fulfill core promises like the MSP guarantee.
The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) continues to advocate for this cause through regular protests. In February 2024, after inconclusive meetings with a government-appointed committee consisting central ministers on February 8 and 12, two farmer groups from Punjab—Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Sidhupur) announced a march to Delhi on February 13 under the banner ‘SKM (non-political),’ led by Sarwan Singh Pandher and Jagjit Singh Dallewal.
The farmers managed to reach Delhi on February 13 and February 21, but their efforts were thwarted by security forces stationed at the borders.
The farmers managed to reach Delhi on February 13 and February 21, but their efforts were thwarted by security forces stationed at the borders. Since February 13, they have been stationed at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points, situated between Punjab and Haryana.
According to Jagjit Singh Dallewal the government had also promised-
- Jobs for the families of those killed in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident and ten lakh rupees for the injured.
- Exemption for farmers from pollution laws.
- Crop prices as per the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations.
The demands of the farmers are as follows:
- Minimum Support Price (MSP) Guarantee: A demand for MSP to be fixed at least 50% higher than the cost of production for any crop and connect it with inflation rates.
- Pension for Farmers and Labourers: Implementation of pension schemes for farmers and farm laborers.
- Farm Debt Waivers: A call for debt waivers for farmers struggling with loans.
- Compensation for Families of Deceased Farmers: Compensation to the families of farmers who died during the 2020-21 agitation.
- Electricity Sector Privatisation: Opposition to the planned privatisation of the electricity sector and a demand for the cancellation of the Electricity Amendment Bill, 2022.
- Exemption from Pollution Laws: A demand to exclude farmers from the purview of pollution laws.
- Justice in Lakhimpur Kheri Case: A call for strict punishment for those responsible in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident.
- Swaminathan Commission Recommendations: A demand for farmers to be paid according to the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission regarding crop prices.
The leader of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (non-political), Jagjit Singh Dallewal, told BBC reporter Deepak Mandal, ‘We did not raise the slogan ‘Dilli Chalo’ to press for our demands. We are only asking the government to fulfill the promises it made while appealing to withdraw the farmers’ movement after two years.‘
For almost eleven months, farmers have consistently attempted to march to Delhi. However, whenever they started to march the police resorted to dropping tear gas canisters from drones, alongside firing rubber bullets, lathi charging and detaining several farmers to stop them.
On 21 February, 2024, when Farmers started to march towards Delhi, the police did the same. Farmer leaders have alleged that a 21 year old farmer Shubhkaran Singh was hit on head by a rubber bullet of police. He was rushed to Rajindra Hospital in Patiala, where he was declared dead.
A farmer Gurchain Singh, who is part of the protest, said ‘They [Haryana Police] are treatingus with the savage fierceness that a marauding enemy would attract.‘
The raid sparked protests from farmer unions, who criticised it as a coercive tactic by the Central government.
In August 2024, NIA conducted a raid at the residence of Sukhwinder Kaur, the general secretary of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU-Krantikari) while Sukhwinder was at Shambhu border, where farmers have been protesting since February. The raid sparked protests from farmer unions, who criticised it as a coercive tactic by the Central government.
Hunger strike by farmers’ protest leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal
When the months-long protest of farmers went unheard, on November 26, 2024, 70 year old Jagjit Singh Dallewal,who is also a cancer patient, began an indefinite hunger strike demanding guarantee of MSP.
It has been more than 40 days till now and the hunger strike is still going on.
In between, farmers attempted to march to Delhi in December also but similar clashes took place with police.
In an interview with The Indian Express, he said ‘If an MSP guarantee law is enacted as per the Parliamentary Standing Committee’s recommendations (made in December last year), I will end my fast.’
He also stressed that he would continue his hunger strike until the Minimum Support Price (MSP) Guarantee Act is passed and would not end it otherwise.
Sukhwinder Kaur stated that ‘We have 12 demands, and our main demand is that of the MSP. The Punjab government said they would do it but even after waiting for one month, they didn’t, and we protested against it. We are ready to talk to them, but they have not asked us anything. We are not begging; we are just asking something for what we do. Where are we at fault?‘
According to a report in The Wire, between 2014 and 2024, approximately 104,474 farmers took their own lives, which averages out to 27 suicides per day.
According to a report in The Wire, between 2014 and 2024, approximately 104,474 farmers took their own lives, which averages out to 27 suicides per day.
Farmers are compelled to risk their lives and protest for months in order to secure their basic rights and the government suppresses farmers’ movements as if they are an enemy force.
During the 2020-2021 farmers’ protest, more than 700 farmers lost their lives.
While talking to ANI, Rakesh Tikait said, ‘About 750 farmers died in the farmers’ movement.‘ Similarly, in this ongoing protest, several farmers have died over the course of 10 months.
In conclusion, it is quite distressing that Indian farmers are protesting on the streets to have their debts waived, while in this country, the government forgives the debts of large capitalists worth billions, silently. This shows the failure of our system and the neglect the State has for the hands that feed its people.
