Saturday 6 February 2021

Farmers protest - A regressive step to thwart reforms.

 


Middle-man syndrome, political conundrum and a Dilemma for the Govt.

The current impasse on the farmers protests due to an obdurate stand of the protesters, opportunistic jump of opposition in the burning fire and the Government’s willingness only to defer the implementation of the three new laws with valid amendments, if any but not repeal as demanded and sheer inability or willingness to remove the protestors from the sites due to political constraints and fear of a backlash is a clear democratic infringement by all.

A situation like this is always a readymade breeding ground for separatists, anarchists and vested interests who do not want a progressive and developed India, thus have jumped the bandwagon but the most worrying part is the joining hands of the middlemen of our society who feel threatened and are very much keen to maintain status quo in their self-interest at the cost of reforms and progress.

India has long suffered due to these middlemen over centuries due to the invaders and the foreign rule, we are continued to be ruled and exploited by them even after independence in some form or the other at the cost of common man and national growth. Whether the satraps of Mughal era or the zamindars and courtiers of British raj or the politicians, their cronies, crony capitalists, Lutyens or the vote bank consolidators of the post-independence era, the ecosystem was designed and used only to suit their objectives and hidden agendas.

Since 2014 and the arrival of Modi, this evil construct of the middlemen has been severely dented and is being dismantled gradually with various reforms to get the rule of law in the country to benefit common man to the last mile, thus this middleman community is threatened of their livelihood (mostly ill-gotten) and are at the core of this movement with the name of the poor kissan (blackmail) in the forefront to ensure a status quo of their own wellbeing.

It all started from day one of Modi taking over the charge in south block of New-Delhi where all the middlemen, wheelers dealers and powerbrokers were barred from entering the corridors of power and rendered jobless, followed by curtailing the junkets, favors and so-called influence of the Lutyens and the press in general and both these powerful middlemen (mostly corrupt) are up in arms against the current dispensation thus the antagonism and hatred.

Further the direct benefit schemes ensured 100% reach to the direct beneficiary rather than 15% only, digitalization, service charters, direct access to the govt hurt the middlemen who were making money as intermediaries at the cost of the end beneficiary and good governance. Election bonds hit the political parties hard while demonetization was the biggest blow to these middlemen as the shell companies and the black money got exposed and now on the wane though not completely eliminated.

Having got hurt badly and now on the backfoot, abolition of article 370 and 35a was a death nail on corrupt practices while the CAA and NRC was an extreme blow to their survival thus the severe protests based on presumptuous hardships. The current three farm laws are reforms meant to improve the ecosystem in the farmers interests but here again mostly the middlemen are going to lose (hold and black money) as they are the loan sharks, mandi managers, contract farmers, distillers, procurers, in literal sense traders and not farmers but earn tax free income(agriculturist).

We all need to have proper perspective and better understanding of the situation, need of the hour, hidden agendas, clear motives of govt, the interest of the common man, the nation at the heart and evolve a rational approach to thwart anarchists and help usher rule of law.

Satish Shitut

Jai Bharat

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