Punjab: Protesters said that nothing has been achieved so far from three years of struggle

Punjab: Three years after the 2020-21 farmers’ struggle ended at Delhi borders, Punjab farmers are convinced that the withdrawal of the three farm laws by the BJP-led Centre was merely a tactical retreat while the distress in the agrarian sector still persists. As a 100-member contingent of farmers attempting to march on foot from the Shambhu border towards Delhi today faced tear gas shells, Punjab farmers are recalling the year-long protest and assessing what, if anything, they have gained after the historic struggle.

As they grapple with climate change impacting their agricultural practices and rising rural indebtedness, farmers are convinced that the Centre has yet to deliver on the three farm laws – the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, none of the other promises made to farmers – including a legal guarantee of minimum support price – have been fulfilled. “On the other hand, funds (Rs 8,000 crore) for upgrading rural and mandi infrastructure have been stopped by the Centre. Essential fertilisers di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) and urea have been cut. And, paddy procurement has been slow this year. Though central government leaders insist they are being fair, these problems faced by farmers speak for themselves,” Kulwant Singh, a farmer from Kishangarh in Mansa district, told The Tribune.

Since the 2020-21 protests ended, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha split, and several factions emerged from the group. They are now divided into SKM and SKM (non-political). There have been vertical splits in most of the major farmer unions, including BKU Ekta Ugrahan and BKU Dakaunda. Though the SKM formed a six-member committee earlier this year and attempted to unite all the unions once again to lead the Kisan Sangharsh 2.0, it never came to fruition. Balbir Singh Rajewal, one of the prominent leaders who led the 2020-21 farmer protests, lamented that the gains of the struggle have been wasted due to the unions’ unwillingness to unite. “We condemn the action against farmers in Shambhu today, but a coordinated effort must be made by all unions to achieve the demands,” he said.