India’s farmers end year long protest.
Farmers in India will stop a long-running strike when the government agrees to a number of outstanding requests, including promises that guaranteed pricing will be considered for all produce, not only rice and wheat, according to union leaders.
“We have decided to call off the protest as most of our demands have been accepted by the government,” Jagmohan Singh of Bhartiya Kisan Union (Indian Farmers Union), who attended a meeting of farmer unions on Thursday, told news agency.
A year-long demonstration by tens of thousands of farmers was held to persuade Prime Minister Narendra Modi to overturn three new regulations imposed in September of last year.
The rules, according to the government, are intended at modernising India’s huge agriculture sector and will enhance farmers’ revenue by giving them more options for selling their produce.
Farmers, on the other hand, claim that the rules will give private enterprises control of the industry and deprive them of a government-guaranteed minimum support price (MSP) for their produce.
Modi took a surprise U-turn last month, apologising to the nation in a TV speech and promising to repeal the divisive laws.
His pronouncement came just days before key regional elections in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, the “grain bowl” regions.
Many farmers were seen removing tents from the major protest site at Singhu outside of New Delhi on Thursday, according to images shared on social media by journalists and news organisations.
Balbir Singh Rajewal, speaking at one of the protest camps on the outskirts of New Delhi, said a victory march will be organised on Saturday to commemorate the campaign’s success over the legislation, according to the Press Trust of India news agency.
“It is a huge victory for the farmers,” Singh told news agency. “This is a big loss for Narendra Modi.”
Balbir Singh Rajewal, a senior leader of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (United Farmers’ Front), a coalition of farmers’ unions, stated they had “got a letter from the government which has granted to our requirements.”
Farmers’ leaders, on the other hand, would gather on January 15 to assess progress on the government’s promises, Rajewal said during a press conference.
“We will resume our protests if the government moves away from the assurances,” said Gurnam Singh Charuni, another farmers’ leader.
Farmers will begin departing the protest location on the outskirts of New Delhi, India’s capital, on Saturday, they said.
According to the letter, the government would form a group of producers and government officials to examine measures to provide MSP for all farm produce.
Currently, the government only buys rice and wheat at such assured prices, helping only around 6% of India’s farmers.
Agriculture provides a living for about half of India’s 1.3 billion people, accounting for nearly 15% of the country’s $2.7 trillion economy.
Farmers’ requests were accepted by the government, according to Jagmohan Singh, due of a campaign launched by the farmers against Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
As India’s farmers end year long protest, Farmers would take to the streets again if the government abandons its agreed-upon demands, he threatened.
“If they take a U-turn on MSP or the cases are not withdrawn against farmers by all the agencies, we will come back with our protest programme,” Singh told news agency.
