Farmers back on road to Delhi: How the current protest differs from the 2020-21 edition

Farmer leaders decided to continue their march towards Delhi after a second round of crucial meetings, between the farmer union leaders and Union ministers Piyush Goyal and Arjun Munda, ended in a stalemate on Monday night.

In both its demands and leadership, the protest of 2024 is very different from the yearlong agitation of 2020-21, during which the farmers succeeded in their main goal of forcing the central government to roll back its agricultural reforms agenda.

What is the ongoing farmers’ protest about?

More than 250 farmers’ unions under the banner of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha ( KMM), which claims to have the allegiance of about 100 unions, and the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political), a platform of another 150 unions, have called the protest that is being coordinated from Punjab.

The two forums gave a call of “Delhi Chalo” at the end of December 2023 to remind Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the promises to farmers two years previously.

As of Tuesday morning, tractor trollies have been on the move, and barricades, nails and heavy equipment have been deployed to thwart the protestors. Earlier, the Centre said it was open to talks and kept an “open mind” on their demands.

Are the leaders of 2020-21 active again?

No. Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) is a faction that broke away from the original Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) in July 2022. Its coordinator is Jagjit Singh Dallewal, president of the Punjab-based Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) Sidhupur farm union, who broke away from the SKM following differences of opinion with the leadership of the main organisation.

KMM, the other organisation in the current protest, was formed by Sarwan Singh Pandher, convener of the Punjab-based union Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC). The KMSC did not join the main protest against the farm laws in 2020-21, and had instead set up a separate stage at the Delhi border at Kundli.

After the protests ended, the KMSC started to expand its base — and at the end of January, announced the formation of the KMM, comprising more than 100 unions from across India.

The SKM, the flagship body of more than 500 farmer unions of India, which led the 2020-21 agitation against the farm laws, is not involved in the ongoing protest. In Punjab, 37 farm unions, including the largest, BKU Ugrahan, are part of the SKM.

The SKM has given its own call for a Grameen Bharat bandh on February 16. While the SKM is not part of the Delhi Chalo agitation, the Morcha issued a statement on Monday evening saying there must be no repression of farmers who are participating. BKU Ugrahan too issued a statement criticising the Haryana government’s moves to stop the march.

What are the demands of the farmers?

The headline demand in the farmers’ 12-point agenda is for a law to guarantee minimum support price (MSP) for all crops, and the determination of crop prices in accordance with the Dr M S Swaminathan Commission’s report. The other demands are:

1. Full debt waiver for farmers and labourers;
2. Implementation of the Land Acquisition Act of 2013, with provisions for written consent from farmers before acquisition, and compensation at four times the collector rate;
3. Punishment for the perpetrators of the October 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri killings;
4. India should withdraw from the World Trade Organization (WTO) and freeze all free trade agreements;
5. Pensions for farmers and farm labourers;
6. Compensation for farmers who died during the Delhi protest, including a job for one family member;
7. Electricity Amendment Bill 2020 should be scrapped;
8. 200 (instead of 100) days’ employment under MGNREGA per year, daily wage of Rs 700, and scheme should be linked with farming;
9. Strict penalties and fines on companies producing fake seeds, pesticides, fertilisers; improvements in seed quality;
10. National commission for spices such as chili and turmeric;
11. Ensure rights of indigenous peoples over water, forests, and land.

How has the government responded thus far?

KMM and SKM (non-political) emailed their demands to the Ministries of Agriculture and Commerce and Industry on February 6. On February 8, Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, and MoS Home Nityanand Rai met a 10-member farmers’ delegation in Chandigarh. The meeting was coordinated by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

Mann was not involved in the second meeting (on Monday), where a delegation of 26 farmer leaders met the three ministers. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress have extended their support to the farmers. The BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal have been silent so far.

Even as the farmers and the ministers were talking, the Haryana government started sealing its borders with Punjab on February 8. As of Monday evening, a massive 12-layer barricade was erected at the Shambhu Barrier on National Highway 1 leading to Delhi, and multiple barricades had been set up at Fatehabad, Khanauri, Dabwali, etc. The Internet has been shut down in several districts.

Rajasthan sealed its borders with Punjab and Haryana on February 11 and imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC in Sri Ganganagar and Hanumangarh districts.

Haryana’s security arrangements this time are very tight, compared with 2020. On November 26, 2020, farmers from Punjab had broken through the barricades. Farmers riding hundreds of tractor-trolleys this time are said to be accompanied by cranes and other equipment to remove the barricades.