Democracy? Really?

 

                                  Democracy? Really?

As rightly said by Leo Tolstoy, “Government is an association of men who do violence to the rest of us”. Government whilst taking care of its responsibilities, did not disappoint the countrymen and proved Tolstoy’s statement to be appropriate.

The plight of farmer today will make anybody's eyes moist. The government recently passed three bills for the direct and indirect agriculture sector. These laws provide with an open opportunity to a farmer who can now sell his produce wheresoever in the market and not precisely to the APMC. Approximately 6% farmers have the resources for transportation and the rest will not be benefitted through it. The new laws have removed the barrier of storage of crops which means the producers can now stock and sell their produce according to the market conditions. Though it appears that not all farmers have big storage godowns and grain silos of their own, hence this law might not be beneficial to some. The third bill facilitates the farmer and the private sector to work on a lease, mainly called contract farming. It will allow the businessmen to invest money and machines for the small land holders and acquire a better crop. It is believed that new businesses can use this opportunity to grow, except it must be registered under Income Tax Act, 1961 for more than six financial years. However, if the two parties have a conflict in the agreement, the farmers will have less legal resources than the companies.

Keeping emotions aside and considering the facts, these farm laws do not benefit the farmers in long run. Irony, right? The laws supposed to uplift the condition of the farmers are not in fact proving to be beneficial for all. The protests against the laws have been taking place since September, when these bills were first passed. The minor points of conflicts between the unions and government can be settled but can the distrust be abandoned? Is there a justification of passing the bill undemocratically? For more than 60 days now, the farmers have been protesting peacefully. It is worth appreciating how 40 leaders have managed and coordinated more than 20 Lakh protestors on The Republic Day. In the 11 meetings that have taken place between the kisaan unions and the government officials, there has been no final outcome. The government is either incompetent to meet their demands or is incapable to make the farmers understand the benefits of the law.

Since farming is a subject of state, the center should not interfere to make or pass the laws for the benefit they claim to provide. Democracy, when violence from both ends started, changed its meaning. Should we appreciate the 99.67% who are still protesting peacefully or shall we give importance to those 0.33% anti-social elements? Was religion ever brought in limelight for two months? Then, how suddenly now? Let's consider it this way, how long do we hold our patience when something is denied to us by our family members? One month? Two months? Or how much? Government's way of dealing with the situation was apparent when they deliberately ignored the legal notices by the kisaan unions. Was "Mann ki baat" more important than replying to a legal notice by the farmers? Wasn't it the priority on the part of the government to attend to the issues of a sector which is the primary source of livelihood of 50% people? It is unethical for a democratic government to behave like a dictator. Tear gas, water cannons, lathi charges and now goons?

 If this is what makes India the largest democracy in the world, I wonder what the smallest would seem like. Democracy of the people, by the people, for the people is in fact becoming democracy of the politicians, by the capitalists, for the elite.

- A voter of India

Mitali Angra