Farmers protesting against new agricultural laws they have asked for a ‘Bharat Bandh’ on Wednesday. There are several similarities between the current agitation of farmers and the Shaheen Bagh protests that had taken place from December of last year to March against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
In fact, several protesters have said that they were inspired by the Shaheen Bagh protests.
Spontaneous nature
Like the Shaheen Bagh protests, the farmers’ agitation began spontaneously and gathered steam over the days with increasing numbers of people joining the crowd to express their voices against the newly-made farm laws. promulgated.
Some of the protesting farmers came to the borders of Delhi to launch their strike, and their strength has been growing by the day.
Arrests against new laws
The CAA protests were against fears that the new law would be against Muslims. There were concerns that large numbers of Muslims would not prove their citizenship and would be expelled from the country. Voices were also raised on the possibility that “ anti-Muslim ” laws of this kind Government of Narendra Modi.
Similarly, farmers fear that minimum support price the new law would end agriculture and companies would take over agriculture. Despite the government denying that there is no such provision in the law, farmers are not paying attention and continue their agitation.
Government failure
Be it Shaheen Bagh’s protests against the CAA or the ongoing farmer agitation, the government appears to have acted late to resolve the crisis. He failed to convey his point of view convincingly.
Limited nature of protests
The Shaheen Bagh protest began with residents of the Okhla area blocking a road to demonstrate against CAA and police action against Jamia Millia Islamia students. Slowly and gradually, people from all over the national capital and neighboring states joined in the upheaval.
In the same way, the farmers’ strike started with a small number of people from Punjab and some from Haryana protesting on the borders of Delhi. However, people from states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have joined. The agitation is likely to increase with each passing day.
Local to national / international
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau first expressed concern about the plight of farmers protesting at Guru Nanak Jayanti. He reiterated his support for farmers even though India summoned the Canadian High Commissioner. He maintained, “Canada will always defend the right to peaceful protest anywhere in the world. We are pleased to see progress towards downsizing and dialogue. ”
Protests in support of farmers were also held in the UK.
The Shaheen Bagh protests had also attracted the attention of some foreign countries. Islamic countries have also expressed concern about the situation arising from the protests.
Role of Women
Women were at the forefront of Shaheen Bagh’s protests. They had played an important role in the long run with the government. The men had been left behind while the women took the reins of the protests in their hands.
Initially, the farmers’ strike saw less presence of women. However, with the passage of time, their number has been growing. Several women have come from Punjab to support the men.
Agitation without banners
The Shaheen Bagh protests were not carried out under any specific banner. It took its name from the locality in which it took place.
Similarly, the farmers’ strike is not taking place under any banner so far either.
BJP Opponents
The farmers’ strike is receiving support from the majority of the parties politically opposed to the BJP and PM Modi. Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party, the Left parties, the PNC led by Sharad Pawar and others have backed the agitated farmers.
The Shaheen Bagh protesters were also supported by the same sectors.
Prolonged protests
The Shaheen Bagh protests, which began on December 14, 2019, ended on March 24 and lasted for almost three months. Kitchens had been installed at the site to prepare meals for the protesters.
Farmer agitation may be moving in that direction. It can also be prolonged if the government does not find an early solution to the problem. Some protesters have claimed that they are prepared for a prolonged battle and have come with a six-month ration.
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