Till 1966 India has food grains production of 53 million tonnes, short by nearly 5 million tonnes to meet demand. India had to beg or purchase grain to make up for the shortage from rich nations. After the harrowing experience in America in November 1966, the Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had made Indian Agro scientists to introduce agro technology reforms to improve productivity.

In five years India improved to produce 105 million tonnes to eliminate the need for imports. Indira Gandhi rewarded farmers to ensure they were compensate with more than adequate returns, for their striving to get India out of annual humiliation of standing at door steps of other grain surplus nations with a begging bowl. She changed marketing structure by minimizing role of private traders and to further ensure farmers got the government ruled price for wheat and rice, main staple food for Indians. To ensure small, marginal and big farmers got returns for their produce, she directed the government owned Food Corporation to begin purchase operations.

Though purpose of creating the FC was to maintain enough food stocks, it was used to ensure farmers got the minimum price. The stocks with it were used for Public Distribution System to enable economically weak families at one third or event less of prevailing market price. The government made good loss of its grain trading wing due to price differential. The system ran smoothly. As big farmers had nearly 88 per cent of marketable surplus and their share in marketed gains was 80 per cent percent, they were to be the main losers by entry of private traders. They would not be able to get same unfair advantage of passing on inferior or without cleaning grain stocks that they managed for five decades with the government agency. The brokers and big farmers incited small farmers 3.6 million in three northern states to take to the war path. Three lakh farmers, mostly above 60 years in age have been squatting at the north orders of Delhi for last three months in support of their only demand to continue old system of grain marketing.

The farmers have grounds to fear. The Union government has gradually reduced role of its wing in market operations. Small farmers have been complaining for the past three years, they were not getting the prices at rates announced for private traders were rejecting their stocks unless agreed to lower prices. Farmers cannot go back with unsold grain as they need money to meet other needs of their families.

The Prime Minister is not willing to meet their demand to repeal new laws though he offered to differ implementation of new laws for eighteen months. He even assured to legalize the minimum price assurance by providing it the teeth of law. It is not acceptable o big farmers as they stand to lose nearly ten per cent with private traders insisting on quality. They did force the state party the Shiromani Akali Dal, partner of the coalition with the BJP for nearly a quarter of century. Both former partners were politically shattered with complete rout in the municipal and rural self governance bodies last week.

After talks between agitating farmers and the government failed to yield results, other avenues are being explored to demoralize them and force them to conclude, wind up their agitation and return to their farms. Th fan club of the Prime Minister as well as of the ruling party have been running a systematic campaign of infamy and branding farmers as anti national and pro secessionists. Even fake incident was created on the Republic Day of hoisting a flag of separatists’ movement Khalistan though the movement petered out in June 1984.

The incident was used to arrest and removed 25 farmer leaders main stay of the agitation. The police action was apparently to demoralize and terrorize others to wind up their strike. But it proved to be in vain as farmers got not only moral support but physical participation by others though few understand the real cause of anger of farmers.

As usual many saw limited interest in the move by the Prime Minister and his adamancy in sticking to his move. The spun stories claim that Narendra Modi played the hard card to facilitate the entry of his two industrialist’s friends into the retail grain trade sector of huge volume. Others believe that Modi would not put on stake his future and his remaining tenure for two wealthy friends though both might be financing his politics. Both would be easily identified the moment they begin their trading. Both have been adequately compensated.

There is a reason to believe that he was preparing grounds to entice the American Retail Trading interests. So that others may be provoked to shift their capital. It alone can explain his soft approach in spite of the provocative intrusions in the Indian Territory by the China Armed Forces with military exercises along the northern borders. He did not want tension with China to lure American capital fleeing from China as XI Jinping did not the Americans to look at India as an alternative destination.

Yet more strange was behaviour of his excited party men and some armed forces officials. They were all aware that Indians as a nation was under the complete lock down for eight months and would need at least six months to be battle ready. Without support of the battle ready nation, no armed forces can engage in conflict. The messages on social media indicated that the young fan club members were confidently depending on 23 Raffel planes, the most modern fighters acquired by the Modi regime from France to completely ann9ihilate China. Was China expected to take the battering without adequate response? But then young supporters were led to believe in infallibility of their leader and farmers proved in three months even without raising their hand that he was as vulnerable as any politician.