Today in Politics: Will farmers call off stir — all eyes on their talks with Centre; SC set for electoral bonds verdict

The offer for talks from the BJP-ruled Centre came when protesting farmers were at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders of Punjab and Haryana with their “Dilli Chalo” call to press for various demands, including a law on minimum support price (MSP) for crops as well as loan waivers.

The farmer leaders said they would not make any fresh attempt to move towards Delhi till the third round of meeting is held, adding that the next course of action will be decided on the basis of the Centre’s proposals.

On Wednesday, over 40 farmers who had gathered at the Datta Singhwala-Khanauri border between Punjab and Haryana to make their way to the national capital received injuries after Haryana Police used rubber bullets, teargas and water cannons to disperse them. The border had also witnessed clashes between the Haryana Police and the farmers from Punjab for nearly two hours on Tuesday.

Sarwan Singh Pandher, the leader of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC), which is spearheading the agitation along with the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political), and other farm leaders will meet Union Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs and Food & Public Distribution Minister Piyush Goyal, Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Minister Arjun Munda, and Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai for the talks.

Earlier in the day, Pandher told reporters that if there is an invitation for talks with the Centre, they would consider it. “We were ready for talks yesterday and we are ready for it even today,” he said.

While the farmers continue to put pressure on the Narendra Modi-led BJP government, the Centre, which had earlier rolled back the three farm laws following the year-long farm agitation in 2020-21, seems to be less worried about the political impact of the protests this time around.

Liz Mathew and Vikas Pathak reported that the BJP leaders admitted that the farmer protests made for “bad optics” and could damage it in Punjab but said they were optimistic about “counter-polarisation” in the state along with Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh.

The BJP functionaries argued that the party would gradually “expose the illogicality of the demand for a law to guarantee MSP for all crops”. A BJP leader told The Indian Express that “there is no logic in making a demand for a law” when the Parliament session was over and the Lok Sabha was about to be dissolved.

Though the BJP says it is unperturbed, party leaders want to de-escalate the situation and not allow the farmers to block Delhi’s borders again. Munda said, “There may be some people there who do not want a solution but want to see it as a problem. So, I will ask farmers to be cautious of people who want to create an adverse atmosphere.”

Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has cancelled the second leg of his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Jharkhand that was scheduled to resume on Wednesday in a possible bid to join the farmers’ protest. He is said to have reached Delhi and may take part in the farmers’ agitation.

Rahul has already voiced his support to the farmers. Taking to X, he has said that the Congress would provide legal guarantee for MSP of crops in the event of the party coming to power in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. “Today, providing MSP to every farmer is the need of the hour and this decision of Congress will also prove to be a milestone. This will change the lives of crores of farmer families of the country including the rural economy,” he also said.

मोदी, उनका प्रचारतंत्र और मित्र मीडिया गरीबों और किसानों के दुश्मन हैं।

जब बात भारत बनाने वालों के हित की आती है तो ‘सरकारी एक्सपर्ट्स’ को बजट की चिंता सताने लगती है, पर बात बजट की नहीं, नीयत की है।

उद्योगपति मित्रों के लाखों करोड़ों के ऋण और टैक्स माफी पर चुप, उन्हें जल, जंगल…

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) February 14, 2024

Recommended reading: Unlike 2020-21, why BJP is unruffled by farmers’ protests this time around

Meet key faces of farm protest 2.0: A rebel and a lone warrior

SC judgment on electoral bonds’ validity

The Supreme Court on Thursday is scheduled to pronounce its verdict on a batch of petitions challenging the validity of the Centre’s electoral bonds scheme.

A five-judge Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud had on November 2 last year reserved its verdict in the matter.

The scheme was notified by the government on January 2, 2018 and was pitched as an alternative to cash donations made to political parties.

The Opposition has been hitting out at the scheme since its introduction. The Congress has argued that electoral bonds were an exercise in “perpetuating opacity and electoral malpractice”, ensuring that all funds go to the ruling BJP.

The CPI(M) moved the apex court in February 2018, challenging the Centre’s introduction of this scheme. The scheme, it said, “undermines democracy” and “lead to greater political corruption”.

PM Modi in Doha

After inaugurating the first temple in Abu Dhabi and holding talks with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum on bilateral cooperation, PM Modi headed to Doha, Qatar, on Wednesday afternoon for his two-day visit.

PM Modi will hold talks with Qatari Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and other officials of that country. The PM’s visit comes at a crucial time. Seven out of the eight former Indian Navy personnel, who were sentenced to death on charges of alleged espionage were released from Qatar’s custody and brought back to India on Monday.

The PM had met Al-Thani on the sidelines of the COP28 summit in Dubai on December 1. The two leaders had discussed bilateral partnership and the “well-being of the Indian community” living in Qatar — this was seen as a euphemism for discussing the situation regarding the eight former Indian Navy personnel on death row.

On Tuesday, speaking of his visit to Qatar, the PM had said: “India and Qatar enjoy historically close and friendly relations.” He added, “In recent years, our multifaceted ties have continued to deepen in all spheres including high level political exchanges, growing trade and investment between two countries, strengthening of our energy partnership, and cooperation in culture and education.”

PM Modi’s tenure has been marked with strengthening of ties with the Middle East. His visit to the UAE in 2015 was the first by an Indian PM since 1981. This week’s visits are Modi’s seventh visit to the UAE and the second to Qatar.

— With PTI inputs