Deep Dive | Episode 33 | Farmers' Protests and the Road Ahead  - video Dailymotion

OutlookIndia

#DeepDiveWithOutlook | After 54 days of a hunger strike, farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal finally accepted medical aid on January 18. His protest, along with hunger strikes by 121 farmers at Khanauri and Shambhu, was part of a larger demand for a legal guarantee on Minimum Support Price (MSP). As farmers gear up to meet the government on February 14, concerns over agrarian distress, rising debts, and recent farmer suicides continue to loom large. Will this meeting bring a resolution, or will the protests persist?  Reporter: Rani Jana Camera: Suresh Pandey  Editor: Sudhanshu   Follow us: Website: https://www.outlookindia.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Outlookindia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/outlookindia/ X: https://twitter.com/Outlookindia Whatsapp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaNrF3v0AgWLA6OnJH0R Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@OutlookMagazine Dailymotion: https://www.dailymotion.com/outlookindia  #FarmersProtest #MSP #AgrarianCrisis #Khanauri #ShambhuBorder #JagjitSinghDallewal #DeepDiveWithOutlook

Transcript

00:00On January 18, Jagjit Singh Dhalewal, convener of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha non-political

00:06finally accepted medical aid after enduring 54 days of hunger.

00:11Shortly after, 121 other protesting farmers at Khanuri and Shambhu borders also called

00:17off their hunger strike.

00:19This comes from an agreement between the union government and farmers' unions to meet on

00:2414 February to discuss their long-standing demands.

00:28Welcome to Deep Dive with Outlook.

00:30Today, we will discuss the farmers' protests and the road ahead.

00:35Dhalewal announced the hunger strike on November 26, 2024 to make the government hear the demands

00:42of the farmers, which includes legal guarantee for minimum support price or MSP.

00:48Diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2020, Dhalewal has been undergoing chemotherapy for 4 years.

00:55Yet, he actively protested against the farm laws and has been rallying for MSP legalisation,

01:01loan waivers and other farmer-centric policies.

01:05After announcing plans for a hunger strike, he drew up his will, transferring all his

01:10land to his son, daughter-in-law and grandson.

01:14His daughter-in-law, Harpreet Kaur, who received 2 acres of land, calls him a feminist for

01:19his progressive actions in a patriarchal society.

01:23In January 2024, Dhalewal lost his wife just days before addressing a Mahapanchayat.

01:29What is done is done.

01:31It is God's will.

01:32He told farmers at the gathering, wowing his dedication to the movement.

01:37The protests traced back to the farmers' opposition to three farm laws passed in 2020.

01:43Although the laws were repealed in 2021 after widespread agitation, the farmers' struggles

01:49didn't end there.

01:51Their demands shifted towards the legalisation of MSP for all crops, a move they argue is

01:57essential for their survival.

01:59The fear among farmers, particularly in Punjab, is that without legally enforceable MSP, they

02:06will lose the security blanket provided by government procurement.

02:10According to Ashutosh Kumar from the Department of Political Science, Punjab University, since

02:15the Green Revolution, Punjab's farmers have relied heavily on government procurement of

02:21wheat and paddy at MSP rates.

02:23This procurement feeds into the central pool supporting the public distribution system

02:28that provides subsidised grains to millions of below-poverty-line families.

02:34If MSP is withdrawn, the implication could be catastrophic.

02:38Farmers would be left at the mercy of moneylenders or corporate entities, aggravating existing

02:43inequalities.

02:45The unions have also demanded the government withdraw from the World Trade Organization's

02:50agricultural agreements, which aim to reduce subsidies and promote open-market trade.

02:56Critics believe that, for the farmers, these reforms signal a slippery slope towards corporate

03:02domination, leaving them vulnerable to moneylenders and private entities.

03:07The plight of the farmers is not new.

03:10Punjab, despite its reputation as an agrarian state, has seen a rise in farmer suicides.

03:16A study by Punjab Agricultural University recorded 9,291 farmer suicides across six

03:22districts between 2000 and 2018, with 88% linked to farm deaths.

03:29Families like Resham Singh's and Gurneet Singh's are left grappling with the aftermath.

03:35When I return for Lohri, we will all celebrate together.

03:38Resham Singh had promised his mother before leaving for the Shambhu border protest.

03:43But that celebration never happened.

03:54On 9th January, unable to bear the distress his fellow farmers were experiencing, Resham

04:00consumed sulfas, a cheap pesticide, ending his life.

04:04This story is not an isolated one.

04:07Since the protests began, three farmers have died by suicide at the Kanori and Shambhu

04:12borders.

04:13These sacrifices underscore the toll the crisis has taken on farmers, whose lives and livelihoods

04:20are being chipped away.

04:21Gurneet Singh, a landless farmer who worked as an electrician at the Kanori border, took

04:27his life after mounting debts and unpaid electricity bills piled up.

04:32His wife, Paramjeet Kaur, stated that he prioritised the protest over their family, working for

04:39free because of his devotion to the cause.

04:42The government's promise to meet the farmers in February is a small step forward, but scepticism

04:49abounds.

04:50Farmers fear that pro-corporate reforms could be reintroduced stealthily, threatening their

04:56livelihoods.

04:57As we wait for February's discussions, the question remains – will the government finally

05:02address the root causes of this agrarian crisis, or will this cycle of protests and despair

05:08continue?

05:09You can read more on this in our issue, Don't Let This Farmer Die.

Deep Dive | Episode 33 | Farmers' Protests and the Road Ahead

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