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‘Modi gov’t anti-farmer’: Thousands rally against India farm laws

Farmers promise to remain defiant against the government over controversial laws they say will destroy their livelihoods.

Indian farmers from various unions organised a huge gathering demanding a withdrawal of the agricultural laws introduced by the government a year ago. [Rajat Gupta/EPA]
Published On 6 Sep 2021

Hundreds of thousands of farmers have gathered in India’s most populous state, the biggest rally yet in a months-long series of demonstrations to press Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to repeal three new agricultural laws.

More than 500,000 farmers attended Sunday’s rally in northern Uttar Pradesh state’s Muzaffarnagar district, according to local police.

Chanting “farmer-labourer, unity!”, the men and women wore yellow and green scarves, signifying harvest and mustard fields while waving national and farmer union flags.

The demonstration in Uttar Pradesh, a predominantly agricultural state that is home to 240 million people, will breathe fresh life into the protest movement, said Rakesh Tikait, a prominent farmers’ leader.

“We’ll intensify our protest by going to every single city and town of Uttar Pradesh to convey the message that Modi’s government is anti-farmer,” he added.

Over the past eight months, tens of thousands of farmers have camped on main highways to the capital New Delhi to oppose the laws, in India’s longest-running farmer’ protest against the government.

The measures, introduced last September, allow farmers to directly sell their produce outside government-regulated wholesale markets to big buyers. The government says this will unshackle farmers and help them get better prices.

Farmers, however, say the legislation will hurt their livelihood and leave them with scant bargaining power against big private retailers and food processors.

Farming is a vast sector that sustains almost half of India’s more than 1.3 billion population and accounts for about 15 percent of the country’s $2.7 trillion economy.

Balbir Singh Rajewal, another farmers’ leader, said Sunday’s rally was a warning for Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which hopes to retain power early next year in state assembly election in Uttar Pradesh, often seen as a barometer of the popularity of the federal government.

“Our message is very clear – either repeal the laws or face defeat in the state election,” he said.

Indian farmers and their supporters belonging to various farmers unions attend a farmers' protest in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh. [Rajat Gupta/EPA]
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More than 500,000 farmers attended the rally in the city of Muzaffarnagar, according to local police. [Mayank Makhija/AP Photo]
Farmers say laws passed by parliament last year will hurt their livelihoods and leave them with scant bargaining power against big private retailers and food processors. [Mayank Makhija/AP Photo]
Farmers and union leaders reaffirmed at the gathering that they would fight for their rights and continue their sit-in along major highways into New Delhi until the legislation is revoked. [Rajat Gupta/EPA]
Farmers have also called for a nationwide strike on September 27 to protest against the laws. Several rounds of negotiations between the government and ministers have failed to resolve the standoff. [Adnan Abidi/Reuters]
Indian farmers who have been demanding the repeal of laws passed by parliament last year shout slogans as they hold a meeting at Muzaffarnagar. [Mayank Makhija/AP Photo]
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The farmers have been camped out on the borders of New Delhi since late November in one of the biggest challenges to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. [Rajat Gupta/EPA]
Farming is a vast sector that sustains almost half of India's more than 1.3 billion population and accounts for about 15 percent of the country's $2.7 trillion economy. [Adnan Abidi/Reuters]