In rejecting SC proposal to negotiate with panel, protesting farmers are displaying obduracy

The protesting farmer unions have accused the Union government of stubbornness and advised the Centre to shed its ego but they would do well to heed their own advice. It pulled up the government for failing to handle the protests and put on hold till further orders the implementation of the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce Act, 2020; Essential Commodities Act, 2020; and Farmers Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 to “assuage the hurt feelings” of protesting farmers. Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait has told a foreign news portal that “if the government forcibly tries to disperse the farmers, it could trigger bloodshed resulting in the deaths of more than 10,000 persons.” On the one hand, the protestors are issuing threats and indulging in coercionary tactics to arm-twist the government, on the other hand, they are playing the victim by saying “court proceedings show what government thinks of farmers.” The government has sent invites to the farmers for talks, reiterating readiness to discuss “all issues”, Union railway minister Narendra Singh Tomar has said the government has “no ego”, clarified on more than one occasion that the Centre was open to clause by clause discussion on the three laws, the Centre has said it is ready to give written assurance on MSP and impose cess on private mandis. On 25 December, during an outreach program for farmers, Narendra Modi again reached out to the farmers, saying that “I humbly request everyone, even to those opposed to our politics that we are ready for talks but talks should be based on ‘tark’ and ‘tathya’.” The protestors have called government’s proposals “empty and ridiculous”, clarified that they don’t want “meaningless amendments but a complete repeal”, and declared that they will “make the government repeal the laws,” adding that “the fight has reached a stage where we are determined to win no matter what.” The complete refusal to engage in any form of rational debate, refusal to budge even a millimetre from their position and remaining adamant on ‘total repeal’ are not negotiating tactics. This is corroborated by astounding figures from Punjab, where in FY 2020 alone, arhatiyas made more than Rs 1,460 crore out of charging commissions for selling of farm produce and the state government collected about Rs 1,750 crore by imposing the mandi tax.” The government also has a duty towards the vast majority of India’s small and marginal farmers who want more options to sell their produce and are expressing their vote of approval for the new farm laws by not joining the protests that are geographically restricted to one corner of India.