The BKS has even announced to hold nationwide agitation on September 8 for a law on minimum support price (MSP). While the BKS did not support the ongoing farmers’ agitation for the repeal of the three farm laws, its move could be simply construed as a design to gain an upper hand on the movement and refurbish the smeared face of RSS amongst the farmers’ just ahead of the Uttar Pradesh assembly election.

Notwithstanding total control on the national media by resorting to mechanism of coercion and bribe, the BJP–RSS combine was finding it a tough proposition to control the political narrative that emerged after crores of daily wage earners turning paupers and the threat of India joining the rank of poor nations staring at its face. The big media has miserably failed to protect the image of its political masters.

What is of significance is the people of the country who barely six months back were scared of their voice which was muted by organised crimes like lynching and love jihad violent actions, have started coming out of their isolation and seeking clarification from the government. This was something beyond the imagination of the rulers. They preferred to rule over a subservient population. The famers’ movement has done one big service to the people. It has put a check on the artificially created political narrative which owes its strength from deceit, untruth and irrationality. Else there was no other tenable reason that Modi would have lost 44 per cent of his popular support within a period of six months.

A major section of the urban middle class still continues to believe that Modi can protect their interest. But with the farmers’ movement sustaining for some more time, they would come to realise the futility of their faith. Modi’s narrative would get exposed.

The farmers’ movement has not only wrecked the political narrative of the RSS and Modi, it has also exposed the political economy of the Hindutva propounded by the Sangh, and laid bare the fascist character of the ruling elite and the forces they represent. The farmers’ movement has also exposed the political hegemony of the RSS led fascist and rightist forces. Modi and his lieutenant Amit Shah who in the crudest manner terrorised the minorities on the issue of Citizenship Amendment Act, have suddenly developed docile stance. It may be a mechanism to deceive the people, but the fact remains that the farmers’ movement has turned them sceptical of their future.

Mamata Banerjee defeated the Modi led BJP in the Bengal assembly elections. The victory is attributed to her charisma. But at some level the right ambience for the defeat was the creation of farmers’ movement. The issues which were thrown open in the public domain by the movement simply exposed the vulnerability of the Sangh and Modi government. The pre-poll surveys underlined that the people of Bengal were quite angry with the manner in which Modi was treating the farmers and the movement was presenting an alternate political narrative. This defeat has broken the moral strength of the BJP and Modi.

The leadership of Samyukta Kisan Morcha, the apex body of more than 400 farmers’ organisations, has proved itself more mature and prudent than the traditional political leaders. The leadership could well have adopted a political forum and character. But it refrained and this caught the imagination of the people. The people came to believe that something of this nature and character could happen and it was not impossible.

True speaking this dynamics and dimension has been missing in the efforts of the opposition parties to come on a common platform and take Modi head on. The farmer leaders could have opted for asserting in the greater interest of the farmers. Their sole mission is to defeat the BJP. They do not nurse the lust for sharing power. This is the fundamental difference between the leaders of the political parties and farmers’ leaders. The depth and maturity of their political understanding could be gauged from the simple fact that based on their perception of the constitutional powers they rejected the mediation offered by the Supreme Court and also refused to cooperate with the three-member committee constituted by the court.

It is quite significant that the galaxy of top academics and economists have miserably failed to counter the argument of the farmer leaders that the three laws Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020, are detrimental to their interests and would break the market protection and subsidy network which the farmers have been benefiting from since the days of the green revolution, and even lead to land-grabbing by commercial capital . In fact these leaders have demolished the political economic narrative of the neoliberal as well capitalist economy.

Farmers’ narrative has so powerful that even the slurs, hate campaign and all attempts to malign the movement has miserably failed. The Godi media maligned them as khalistanis and criminals but this failed to demoralise the common farmer and peasant and break the movement.

In the backdrop of these developments the stand of the RSS backed BKS ought to be looked in proper perspective. BKS which has been maintaining a passive approach all these nine months has demanded that Modi government should either bring a new legislation or make changes in the agri-marketing laws enacted last year to add a provision for the payment of MSP for major farm produce. The leaders claim to have served an ultimatum to the government. BKS would organise district-level protests across the country on September 8 if the government does not give an assurance on enacting an MSP law by the end of this month. But interestingly the BKS too is also not in the favour of repealing the three laws as demanded by farmers.

The BKS will also stage nationwide agitation on September 8 to press for 'remunerative price' to farmers for their produce to cover their production cost and called for "improvement" in the Centre's new agri laws that are facing opposition from a section of cultivators. It is obvious from the stand of BKS that RSS is using it counter the new political narrative that has been pushed in the body politic by the farmers’ organisation. Their focus has been on enacting MSP law, but support disbanding the Mandis. Incidentally only a week back Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar announced revival of the Mandis which were abolished in 2006, as they are the main source for economic sustenance of the farmers. It would prevent them from turning beggars.

Meanwhile the farmers organisation protesting against the Centre's three contentious agri laws will organise a national convention on August 26 to mark the completion of nine months of their agitation. According the Samyukt Kisan Morcha the convention will witness the participation of representatives of hundreds of farmers' organisations which have been part of the ongoing protests locally, regionally and nationally.

The RSS was quite hopeful that the apex court rule that there should be no inconvenience to the general public travelling between the two states and Delhi and issue some kind of directive to clear the agitation sites. But this did not happen. Instead the Supreme Court has directed the Centre “find a solution. The farmers have a right to protest but there can’t be a hindrance on the inflow and outflow of traffic”. The bench said: “The solution lies in the hands of the Union of India and the states.” It also asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, “What is happening Mr Mehta. Why can't you find a solution? You have to find a solution to this problem. They have the right to protest but at the designated places.” (IPA Service)