Even after eight months of protests at the borders of Delhi and 477 deaths of farmers during this period as claimed by the Kisan Morcha (though the Centre maintains there is no data on farmers’ deaths, the Punjab Government alone has confirmed deaths of 220 farmers during the protest), no consensus has reached between the protesting farmers and the Union government. Now the farmers have been allowed to enter the national capital (till August 10) and they are holding a ‘Kisan Sansad’ (farmers’ parliament) at Jantar Mantar while the monsoon session of Parliament is going on.
Jantar Mantar is just 1.6 km away from the Parliament House but none of the 788 members of both the houses has visited the ‘Kisan Sansad’ as yet to give a patient hearing to the demands of the farmers. However, police personnel have been deployed at the site.
On July 26, Jantar Mantar witnessed ‘Mahila Kisan Sansad’ where about 200 women farmers took centre stage. Over a thousand women farmers gathered at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. Out of them only 200 women ran the ‘Sansad’ set up by farmers, hundreds of others guarded them or talked to the media or police personnel. Each speaker was allowed only two minutes.
At the ‘Sansad’ or while talking to the media or police, they discussed the three controversial agri laws, especially essential commodities amendment. The women farmers had a lot of questions to discuss and talk about, including “Why did Modi use the pandemic to pass laws?”, “Why is government selling our food system to Ambani-Adani?” and “If food is not essential, what is?” They were using Hindi, Punjabi, Haryanvi and English to vent their anger.
Renowned women personalities like Medha Patkar and Gul Panang visited the ‘Mahila Kisan Sansad’.
Medha Patkar of the Narmada Andolan reportedly said, “This Sansad is a challenge to the government. The Narendra Modi government’s plans to allow contract farming will harm the farmers and be profitable for businessmen. The protest has been ongoing for eight months. If necessary, like the Narmada Andolan which lasted 36 years, it can go on for many years.”
Gul Panag, an actress and daughter of an Army officer, told The Wire, “I’m from an Army family, which is very common in UP and Punjab. But this cruel government keeps calling us anti-national, terrorists. How can they call the annadata these words?”
Many of the farmers have been camping on roads since the beginning of the protest. Now they arrive at Jantar Mantar at 11 am to conduct their ‘Sansad’. Before leaving the border, they have to show their ID cards given by union leaders. And at the ‘Sansad’, they discuss the consequences of the new farm laws. They hope their voices will be heard in the Parliament.
At about 2 pm, lunch arrives from the Bangla Sahib Gurudwara. In the evening, the Sansad ‘proceedings’ come to an end with singing of the National Anthem every day. The farmers leave for their camps in the buses, followed by the police, with the hope their message will be heard and their woes will come to an end.