After Year- Long Strike, India's Farmers Win Big Against New Laws To Corporatize Agriculture, Modi

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Last edited Tue Dec 14, 2021, 02:45 PM - Edit history (1)

- Young farmers celebrate after Prime Minister Modi announced the repeal of three new farm laws.
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- 'After a Year-Long Strike, Indian Farmers Score a Big Win.' By Shiney Varghese. Inequality.org. Dec. 8, 2021. - Ed.

- The country's prime minister has agreed to roll back laws that threatened to corporatize agriculture, jeopardizing the food security of more than 800 million people and further enriching the ultra-rich. -

India’s farmers have mobilized to create one of the world’s most vibrant protests in history, camping on the outskirts of New Delhi for an entire year. Last month, they were mobilizing to mark the one-year anniversary of the day when farmers faced water cannons and tear gas at the Delhi border as they tried to reach the capital. But a week before the events planned for Nov. 26, they got a big win, as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that he had decided to repeal the three controversial farm laws.

There was no cabinet meeting and no ordinance repealing the three laws — simply an announcement.

But this historic victory of the Indian farmers is being celebrated by millions across the world.

The three laws threatened to corporatize the food and agricultural sector in India, undermining small farmers, jeopardizing the food security of more than 800 million people, and further enriching the ultra-rich. During Modi’s time in power, the net worth of select Indian billionaires has grown exponentially while unemployment has skyrocketed. (A comprehensive article explaining what the massive historic farmers’ protests in India are about can be found here, *below).



- Five men wearing turbans walk with signs saying "NO FARMER NO FOOD," protest in Delhi in Dec. 2020.




- Indian women farmers participating in a protest against new farm laws, Dec. 11, 2020 outside Delhi.


The protest began in Punjab, and as the farmers reached Delhi, it began gathering the attention of the world for its scale, longevity & for the tenacious and well organized, yet nonviolent collective organizing efforts. Farmers’ organizations and civil society organizations across the world have been following these developments closely since the fall of 2020. Early in 2021, two and a half months into the protests, over 87 farmer organizations and allied agroecology, farm and food justice groups in the U.S. (including my organization, the Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy), came together to deliver a solidarity statement in support of the Indian farmers’ protests.

- Our statement drew attention to the fact that what the Indian farmers are enduring now happened in the U.S. almost 4 decades ago.

- The farmer mobilization has grown in strength, building bridges across divisions of castes, religions and regions, emphasizing unity as 'annadata' or food-providers, whether as a farmer or farm worker, women or men, and at the same time, building alliances with other progressive struggles. The timing of Modi’s announcement to repeal the 3 laws was, of course, political and in advance of upcoming elections in key states, and on the birth anniversary of the 1st Sikh guru, Guru Nanak. The Sikh community as a whole has been a pillar of support for protesting farmers- farmers from key states Uttar Pradesh & Punjab form the backbone. SKM- a united front of over 40 Indian farmers unions leading the farmers’ strike has rightly asked that the 3 laws be repealed through parliamentary process. In a letter to PM Modi, they noted that this will meet just one of several demands & reiterated 6 others, 3 longstanding, including legally guaranteed Minimum Support Price (MSP) for all crops & for all farmers.

Global civil society organizations are continuing to stand in solidarity with Indian farmers and supporting their demands... - More, https://inequality.org/research/indian-farmers-victory/
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Also: 'India At A Turning Point,' Dec. 2020. The Indian Farm Bills to force farmers to “get big or get out”?
https://www.iatp.org/blog/202012/india-turning-point



- Indian Prime Minister Modi backs down on 3 farm laws in surprise victory for protesting farmers.