Thousands of farmers in India blocked roads and railways tracks on Friday in protest over the passing of three farm bills. While the protests were concentrated in agriculture intensive states in Punjab and Haryana, it is a nationwide movement.
Most Indian farmers sell their produce at mandis (government-controlled wholesale markets) at an assured Minimum Support Price (MSP). While the farmers are free to sell to private traders, most choose not to in fear of exploitation.
The 3 new bills were passed hastily through a voice vote (even after the speaker was explicitly asked to take up a physical vote) amid ruckus from the opposition. This move has been met with severe criticism from not only the opposition but also from some government supporters.
The bill aims to loosen rules around sale, pricing and storage of produce. These rules have protected farmers for years from the free market. They fear that private traders will eventually dictate prices and the government will pull back the MSP, leaving farmers open to exploitation.
The government led by Narendra Modi has repeatedly claimed that these reforms are "farmer-friendly" but opposition and farmers believe otherwise.
Moreover, all major news channels in the nation refuse to show the protests, instead choosing to spend hours talking about the Bollywood drug scandal. The lack of media coverage is concerning, especially for an agriculture-based nation.
Written by Anushree Appandairajan
Artwork by Zara Masood
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