Since the countdown began to the elections this time, the BJP is in mission mode to create communal disharmony using an arsenal containing communally toxic slogans, campaigns targeting minorities on so-called “love jihad”, violent anti-cow slaughter campaigns, and giving licence to the police to arrest young Muslims at will. In UP, particularly Western UP, communal riots just before the last assembly elections paid the BJP rich electoral dividends. There is another more cynical reason for the BJP move. So if the BJP thought it could remove the kisan agenda from the electoral battle by this move, they may be in for an unpleasant surprise. The distrust of the government runs quite high.
Other issues have also been flagged by the leaders of the kisans, many of whom have expressed skepticism about the announcement. The statement from the Samyukta Kisan Morcha indicates that they are not withdrawing their struggle until the most important issue they have been raising, which is a legal guarantee for minimum support prices, is addressed by the government. Already the main contender against the BJP for power in UP, the Samajwadi Party, has coined the slogan “Saaf nahi hai inka dil, chunaav baad phir layenge bill.(Their intentions are not honourable, they will reinstate the law after the elections).” The message in the PM’s defence of the laws, even while withdrawing them, was heard loud and clear by the farmers: given an opportunity, the Government will push for the laws again, more so if they win the state elections. The question arises: If the laws are good, if only “some” of the farmers have opposed them, then why withdraw the laws? It doesn’t need a political scientist to fathom the reason – the huge political fallout of the continuing kisan struggle on the forthcoming elections, particularly in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, the epicentres of the struggle. The Prime Minister also scored a self-goal when he defended the laws saying that he was sorry he had failed to convince “some” of the farmers. One of them who is still in the central cabinet was complicit in the horrific happenings in Lakhimpur Kheri. They were abused as terrorists, traitors, goondas, disruptors, liars and cheats by leaders of his party. There was no apology for the harsh words used against farmers in the course of this one year. There was no assurance that all false cases against the farmers would be withdrawn.
There was not a word of regret for the 700 farmers martyred in the struggle.