Prem Gawande/jakir Saiyyad
Deputy Editor
The proposed deal with the US on the agriculture front has brought the Modi government to a crossroads where every path seems dangerous.
On the one hand, there is global pressure and the compulsion of strategic partnerships, and on the other, there are the concerns of the country’s farmers, who have already been hurt by policy experiments.
The farmers’ agitation emerging from India and other states is not just a warning but a result of the breakdown in the long-standing dialogue between the government and the farmers.
The words “this time we will enter Parliament” are a serious signal for democracy. They reflect both anger and frustration. Farmers are not an anarchic group, but a class on whose hard work the country’s food security depends.
If today the same farmers are talking about reaching Parliament, then the question should be asked from the corridors of power rather than the farmers, where and why did the dialogue break down?
The responsibility of the government is not only to make laws, but also to listen to differences and find solutions.
Frequent protests are not a good sign for any democracy. On the other hand, the language and direction of the protests should remain within constitutional limits, so that the real issue is not drowned out by noise.
Today, the need is not for conflict but for trust. Farmers want a solution, not for parliament. If the government paves the way for serious dialogue in time, both the unrest on the streets and the pressure on democracy can be avoided.
Because agricultural agreements are not just paper documents. They are connected to the core of the country. Today, there is a need for transparency, open discussions in parliament and taking farmers into confidence.
Otherwise, the US agreement cannot become a diplomatic success for the government, but can become a cause of domestic crisis. Because every decision taken in agriculture is ultimately tested on the basis of democracy. It is there that such warnings become history and solutions determine the future.
