#FarmersProtest Laws Repealed: Breakdown and Reaction
On 18th November 2021, just 10 days before the #FarmersProtest turned one year long, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued a public message on Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s GurPurab saying the laws would be repealed.
Here we share a breakdown of what the current situation is and a reflection of international reactions to the news.
What did Modi say exactly?
Modi was addressing the nation on the occasion of Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s GurPurab (birth anniversary) with a TV speech on Friday morning in India.
Within the speech, Modi remained defiantly claiming the laws at the centre of the farmers protest were beneficial to farmers and the failure of the government was that they could not convince protesters of this, despite it being “as clear as the light of a candle”. Modi went as far as claiming it was still only “a section” (a minority) of farmers opposing the bills, but that his government would try to serve their demands regardless.
Jasveer Singh, Sikh Press Association Senior Press Officer, said of the speech, “Instead of admitting the laws had to be revoked due to the problems they invoked, Modi once again reverted to the Hindutva propaganda narrative that farmers were simply not intelligent enough to understand the laws, and that’s why they have to be repealed. This image of the farmers stems from the linked narrative that Sikhs and Punjabis are hot-headed, irrational types that lack intelligence. This stereotype of Sikhs is pushed in all Indian media. It is no surprise that Modi, a clearly nationalistic and fascist leader, would not be able to admit fault with the laws”.
Modi promised a fresh look into potential agricultural reforms in India, including the pivotal MSP (minimum-sale price). The BJP lead also said that the repeals process would be completed in parliament by the end of this month. He then requested farmers to return home from the camps in-and-around Delhi, which millions of #FarmersProtest supporters have been frequenting since last year.
Many mainstream Indian media outlets were among those that believed the use of GurPurab to make the announcement was an indication the message was aimed mainly at Sikhs, who have undeniably been at the forefront of the #FarmersProtest movement in India and overseas. Whilst many have tried to downplay the role of any particular religion in the movement, the fact that the laws being protested against were going to massively impact Sikh families, coupled with the fact protesters openly advocated the Sikh faith as inspiration for their activism, showed Sikhi was at the centre of everything important about the #FarmersProtest.
How did Sikhs initially react?
Initial reaction from most Sikh orgs was very much celebratory, after nearly one year and an estimated over 700 lives lost directly as a result of the protest. Within the last year, countless Sikh orgs and individuals have been organising protests, letters to MPs, aid for the farmers directly and social media awareness campaigns across the world in support of the #FarmersProtest. To see such efforts help lead to a public repeal has been a historic and welcomed moment for Sikhs across the world, especially when coinciding with celebrations for GurPurab.
Farmers official response
The main notable response from protesting groups was that the camps around Delhi would not be cleared until the laws were officially repealed in parliament, meaning the protests are set to continue until the end of this month, which will make the official demonstration over one year long.
Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), one of the lead official protest groups of the movement, released a statement saying they would wait for the laws to be officially repealed before commenting further, whilst adding that the farmers were still waiting on a government response to their demand “for a statutory guarantee to remunerative prices for all agricultural produce and for all farmers”.
Thanks from the farmers’ groups was also given to diaspora communities that have stood with them throughout the movement.
Taking a different approach, the @Tractor2Twitr #FarmersProtest official social media support group countered Modi’s suggestions about why the laws failed, before pushing to trend #FarmersDefeatedArrogance.
Anti-Sikh reaction
As is always the case with Indian issues relating to Sikhs, the news of the repeals triggered widespread anti-Sikh rhetoric among mainly Indian nationalists. Despite no evidence to prove it, the most common type of response was to suggest the repeal was succumbing to Khalistanis (supporters of a free Sikh homeland). Decades of propaganda mean that the mere accusation of being Khalistani is tied in with being a terrorist and anti-national. This is despite the fact the Khalistan movement is partly based on continuing oppression of Sikhs in India and the most prominent form of support for it currently is in the form of a democratic referendum campaign by Sikhs For Justice.
Renowned fanatical Hindutva Indian nationalist Kangana Ranaut, a famous actress and rabid political commentator, went as far as calling for “dictatorship” to return in India through the form of Indira Gandhi, the PM responsible for perpetrating the beginning of the 1984 Sikh Genocide. Such venomous responses have been found to have widespread support amongst Indian nationalists.
The struggle continues
Among Sikh diaspora reaction were masses of social media passes giving a sceptical response to the proposed repeal of the laws, as well as highlighting ongoing issues Sikhs and Punjabis face at the hands of the Indian state.
Honouring the dead
Most estimates suggest over 700 farmers protest supporters died as a direct result of the movement. The deaths came in many ways; from road accidents due to the countless more journeys from states like Haryana and Punjab towards Delhi, to illnesses obtained from having to camp out in the tough weather conditions (both hot and cold, and rain flooding) and especially the violent attacks of from Indian authorities and nationalist mobs, which included depriving protesters in camp of access to vital resources (water, toilets, etc). During the celebrations and general talk about the #FarmersProtest and repeal announcement by Modi, many wanted to ensure the those that died for the cause were remembered at this time.
Mainstream media reporting
The BBC reported “dozens” of farmers had died during the protest from “heat, cold and Covid”. This statement not only underplays the truth of the amount of deaths that occurred due to the protest (which ground sources estimate at 700+), it also removes the context of deaths occurring due to police violence, including the restriction of access to resources, such as medical aid, water, use of toilets and more.
Similarly, Canada’s CBC also included little-to-no reference at all to the violence of India’s police which prompted some of the initial focus on the #farmersprotest last year in coverage of the repeal announcement.
To no-one’s surprise, Indian mainstream media headline various responses to Modi’s announcement which denounced the move and propagated the anti-Sikh theory it was succumbing to anti-nationalists.
In a move which shows a complete oversight of the sentiment of those that feel close to the movement, the NY Times focused on the announcement from a political perspective, calling it a sign of “weakness”, rather than the right move to serve his countrymen. The NY Times has found itself subject to widespread criticism in the last few years for previous coverage on Sikh related issues.
Diaspora support
Among the unique reactions in Sikh circles were references to the efforts of those outside of India that have worked to show real support for the #FarmersProtest across the world.
Some within the Sikh diaspora suggested the recent UK Khalistan referendum events have shown enough support for the free Sikh homeland to prompt Modi’s government into reacting. The recent events in the UK showed thousands support Khalistan, with issues like the #FarmersProtest being an example as to why the Sikh community cannot function freely in India.
Rallies in support of the outcome have already been set in the USA, Canada and the UK.
A key outcome for the Sikh diaspora from the #FarmersProtest has been the focus on the destruction of Punjab’s culture of farming by the hands of the state. The much respected @SavingPunjab activist page which helped explain lots of the issues around the #FarmersProtest worked immediately to keep focus on this issue, which was occurring prior to the #FarmersProtest and will continue after any type of repeal. Read more from Saving Punjab on this here.
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