INDIA

"Farmers' Voices Must Be Heard": Indian-American Lawmaker On Protests

"I hope there's a peaceful and fair solution so they can provide for their families," Ro Khanna said in a tweet on Saturday.

Indians Abroad Press Trust of India

Updated: December 13, 2920

"I am encouraged by the ongoing dialogue," Ro Khanna

Washington: 

Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna has hoped for a peaceful and fair solution to the farmers' issues in India, saying he is encouraged by the ongoing dialogue between the protesting farmers and the government.

Mr Khanna, 44, was recently elected for a third consecutive term from the congressional district representing Silicon Valley.

"India and the US share a rich tradition of democracy and peaceful protests. Farmworkers are the backbone of both our nations and must have their voices heard. I hope there's a peaceful and fair solution so they can provide for their families," Mr Khanna said in a tweet on Saturday.

"I am encouraged by the ongoing dialogue," he said, joining other American lawmakers who have expressed their views on the ongoing farmers' protest in India, several of whom have expressed their concerns.

India & the US share a rich tradition of democracy & peaceful protests. Farmworkers are the backbone of both our nations & must have their voices heard. I hope there's a peaceful and fair solution so they can provide for their families. I am encouraged by the ongoing dialogue.- Rep. Ro Khanna (@RepRoKhanna) December 13, 2020

"As Co-Chair of the American Sikh Caucus in Congress, my office has received first-hand accounts of the horrific crackdowns on protestors who are trying to peacefully express their disapproval of India's recent agricultural reform legislation," said Congressman John Garamendi, who along with two other lawmakers wrote a letter to India's Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu early this week.

According to the letter, "hundreds of thousands of farmers from the states of Punjab and Haryana that have made their way to New Delhi to peacefully protest these new agricultural laws, and the Indian government has met these peaceful protestors with tear gas, water cannons, barricades, baton attacks, and more.

"Many of these farmers have children, relatives, and friends who are US citizens, many of whom have reached out to us to share their concerns about these developments. We urge the Indian government to demonstrate its respect for these crucial democratic freedoms, and to be a model of democratic values in the vital Indo-Pacific region".

The letter, dated December 4, was released this week. The two other lawmakers who have expressed their concern on the protest were congressman Jim Costa and congresswoman Shelia Jackson Lee, members of the American Sikh Caucus.

Thousands of farmers are currently staying put at Delhi's borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh in protest against the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

They have expressed apprehension that these laws would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them at the "mercy" of big corporations.

However, the government has maintained that the new laws will bring farmers better opportunities and usher in new technologies in agriculture.

There have been multiple rounds of talks between representatives of the protestors and the government but the logjam continues.

Thousands of people are protesting with farmers in India. This is why you should care

Ramanpreet Kaur demonstrated on December 5 in Queens, New York and estimates around 150 others joined her.

By Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN
 Fri December 11, 2020

(CNN)Farmers in India have reached a stalemate with the government over its proposed amendments to laws the farmers feel will ravage their livelihoods and create an opportunity for large, private companies to enter and exploit the entire agriculture sector.

The laws directly impact the farmers in India, but they could also have a significant impact to consumers globally, who rely on India for many key items such as turmeric, chili and ginger.
To fight against three laws passed in September, farmers from all across the country have been protesting for days just outside New Delhi -- despite the capital being a hotspot for Covid-19 in a country that has already reported more than 9.4 million cases.

More than half of India's working population comes from the agricultural sector, according to India's most recent Census in 2011. From 2018-2019, the average Indian farmer earned 10,329 rupees (about $140) per month, according to data from a Hindustan Times analysis. Of these 263.1 million workers, many solely rely on farming to put food on their own table and roof over their head.

Farmers from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh arrived by tractors and on foot in New Delhi last month where they blocked roads and set up makeshift camps, according to protest leaders. Some slept on the road or in their tractors, and several places of worship offered protesters food.

Tens of thousands of farmers swarm India's capital to protest deregulation rules

VIDEO

Here's why tens of thousands of Indian farmers are protesting 01:51

It affects your pantry

The protests haven't been exclusive to India.

People around the world have been protesting to show support and stand with the farmers because the protests are about "the people who feed all of us" and their fair treatment, said Simran Jeet Singh, a scholar of religion and history currently teaching at Union Seminary and a Stephen M. Keller Term Member for the Council on Foreign Relations.

"The pandemic has shown us that there are two economies," he said. "Essential workers across the world are suffering. The farmers in India represent all of them, and their resistance to unjust legislation that privileges the uber-wealthy corporations is a resistance that speaks to so many of us all over the world."

India is the world's largest producer, consumer and exporter of spices -- producing about 68% of the world's spices, according to Spices Board India, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Govt. of India.

In 2019, the top 10 importers of Indian spices were the US, China, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Bangladesh, Thailand, UK, UAE, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka, data shows.

Items like pepper, cardamom, chilli, ginger, turmeric, coriander, cumin, garlic, curry powder and fennel are among the exports.

India is the leading exporter of Basmati rice and world's largest milk producer to the global market, according to India's Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority, with the main production happening in states like Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi -- where the farmers are also protesting.

The country is also the world's second-largest producer of rice, wheat and other cereals, ranking second in fruits and vegetable production in the world just under China.
Herbs and medicine go hand-in-hand for those practicing homeopathy or Ayurveda, an ancient Hindu system of medicine based on the idea of balance within your body, built on the foundation of herbal treatment, yoga and breathing.

At times, ginger is served for arthritis and digestion, cinnamon to boost circulation and lower blood sugar, and fenugreek to fight infection -- all top exports of the country.

India is home to thousands of plants but 7,500 of them are known and used for medicinal uses, according to data from the Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine. The same data says approximately 25% of drugs are derived from plants.

It affects your closet
Chances are something in your closet was made in India -- and that's because India is the world's leading producer of cotton, surpassing China, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.

"Although yields in India are well below the global average, cotton area in India dwarfs that of any other country, accounting for approximately 40 percent of the world total," the department said.

What do the laws say?

For decades, the Indian government has offered guaranteed prices to farmers for certain crops, creating a stable guide to make decisions and investments for the following crop cycle.
Under the previous laws, farmers had to sell their goods at an auction at their state's Agricultural Produce Market Committee. A government-agreed minimum price was set for items and the auction was regulated by restrictions on who could buy along with price caps on essentials.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi says the new laws give farmers a chance to decide their own prices and sell directly to private businesses, like grocery chains, cutting the middle man, who in this case, is the state's Agricultural Produce Market Committee.

Farmers argue Modi's new laws help big companies drive down prices. While farmers could sell crops at higher prices if the demand is there, conversely, they could struggle to meet the minimum price in years when there is too much supply in the market.

"In the past, when Indian agricultural workers have protested for fair prices and working conditions, the Indian government has responded with violent crackdowns that include documented torture, human rights abuses, and extrajudicial killings," Simran Singh said.
"It is critical that, in this moment of peaceful protest, we keep our eyes trained on India's response, and ensure that they do not again resort to repressive tactics as a way to thwart free speech and protest."

Voices on the ground

Police attempted to block demonstrators from entering New Delhi when protests first began -- they fired tear gas and water cannons, after protesters pelted police officers with stones and damaged public property, according to Manoj Yadav, a senior police official from Haryana.
From France, Germany, California, New York, Texas, Canada, Netherlands and London -- people have shown up in solidarity over the last two weeks.

As a Sikh Punjabi woman, the fight for Ramanpreet Kaur in New York is about her "grandparents and parents who have lived through so many hardships and kept the farming culture alive in our families to provide for us."

"Even if you don't feel a personal connection to India or the farmers out there like many of us do, as a human being who lives on earth you should be concerned about exploitation of the people who feed you everyday," she said.

Manveer Singh said he feels the impact of India's new laws all the way in Vancouver, Canada, through his cousins in Punjab who still farm today.

"The entire world should care about this issue, because in a globalized society we are all connected," he said. "Everything from turmeric to Basmati comes from Indian farmers."

Manveer Singh joined a demonstartion on December 5 outside the Indian consulate in downtown Vancouver.

"And above personal interests, we need to value human beings over corporations. That in itself is the central ethos of what has become one of the biggest protests in human history."

Rajbir Singh, from Amsterdam, said farming has always been the only way his family has made money -- and for some of them, it still is.

Protests in front of the Den Haag in front of the Indian Embassy on Tuesday, December 8.

"For me to see that all Indian farmers now indirectly have to work for these big corporations is unacceptable," he said. "That's why I am protesting and urge the rest of the farming communities in the world to stand with the Indian farmers."

What happens now and how to help

On Wednesday, Indian farmers rejected the government's proposed amendments, according to an Indian farmers union.

Darshan Pal, President of the Krantikari Kisan Union, a farmer's union said protests will intensify and farmers plan to block the highway between New Delhi to Jaipur, the capital of western Rajasthan state, on December 12, which will lead up to a nationwide protest by December 14, with calls to gather outside the regional offices of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

Organizations like Khalsa Aid, an international humanitarian relief group, has a team on the ground working with protest organizers.

Sahaita, a volunteer-based humanitarian non-profit, is collecting monetary donations to help families affected.

And cultural clothing brands, like Reignfull and ZHK Designs, are donating profits from their merchandise and art to organizations focused on rendering aid.

CNN's Julia Hollingsworth, Swati Gupta, Esha Mitra and Manveena Suri contributed to this report.

A popular upsurge against neoliberal arithmetic in India

The farmers’ strike in India has become about much more than controversial farm legislation.


Navyug Gill
Assistant Professor in the Department of History at William Paterson University.
11 Dec 2020

AL JAZEERA

Farmers sit on a tractor during a protest against recently passed farm bills at the Singhu border near Delhi, India on December 5, 2020 [Reuters/Adnan Abidi]

On November 26, tens of thousands of Indians marched on foot, trolley and tractor from the states of Punjab and Haryana to the capital, New Delhi. To try to stop them, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led state government in Haryana blocked the main highways with metal barriers, shipping containers and concrete pillars, and even dug up parts of the road. They also unleashed legions of riot police armed with batons, tear gas canisters and water cannon.

Undeterred, the protesters pushed forward, casting aside the barriers and batons and ploughing over the ditches. Rather than end up at the designated protest grounds – where they would have been corralled – they halted with months of supplies at the outskirts of New Delhi in order to shut down the main arteries to the city. At the moment there is a tense standoff with no clear end in sight.

Organised by more than 31 trade unions, the protest has drawn in a diverse group of farmers, labourers and their supporters from nearly all segments of Punjabi society. The demographics of the march cuts across caste, class and religious lines – predominantly Sikh women and men, young and old, rural as well as urban have come together in solidarity.

This impressive mobilisation was triggered by the passing of three controversial farm bills into law in late September. This legislation is designed to commercialise agricultural procurement and distribution and allow private corporations to purchase crops at market prices while removing key government controls.

The farmers argue these neoliberal changes will effectively dismantle the most important safeguards of the existing public system in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh states, leading to greater volatility and poverty for the bulk of the population dependent on agriculture. They see this as a direct threat to their livelihoods and a danger to the stability of the entire regional economy. The slogans of the protests refer to a fight for rights (hakk) and existence (hond).

The march on Delhi was a dramatic escalation of months-long peaceful agitation. It began over the summer with farmers gathering in public squares and outside government offices. Leaders gave impassioned speeches, processions were taken out to nearby villages and a mass education campaign was launched to inform people about the effects of the new laws.

When this had no effect on the government, the protesters then blocked the railways and toll booths, surrounded the homes of politicians and boycotted corporations such as Ambani and Adani that are poised to profit most from the changes.

Throughout they scrupulously avoided violence or damage to public property. Yet apart from a few fitful rounds of talks with officials, this too yielded nothing. Indeed, not only did the government fail to consult farmers when devising the bills, but it thereafter consistently refused to meaningfully negotiate.

These protests are no ordinary expression of grievance. What the world is witnessing in Punjab is a grassroots popular upsurge that has the potential to transform the political landscape of India.

The implications can be gleaned from an unlikely source, the reactions and arguments of the government and its supporters. Rarely do they discuss the content of the laws in detail or try to counter the farmers’ claims.

Instead, proponents have maintained that those protesting are either disgruntled elites who fear the erosion of their privileges, or uneducated simpletons who fail to understand how these laws will be to their benefit. Another conspiratorial angle – invoked by segments of the mainstream Indian media – is that separatists bent on dividing the country are misleading the farmers.

Beyond such dismissals and delusions lies a more pernicious argument. Supporters of the BJP insist these laws were passed by a duly elected government following the proper procedure, and are therefore justified regardless of the opposition. According to this line of thinking, since the BJP won 303 out of 543 seats in the 2019 parliamentary election, the decisions it makes are inherently legitimate because they reflect the general will of the people.

This perception of a blanket mandate presumably extends to other controversial measures, such as the bungled demonetisation of high-value currency notes, the revocation of special status in the disputed state of Jammu and Kashmir, and the imposition of an exclusionary refugee law and national citizen registry. In other words, the merits of an issue matter not in the arrogant logic of majority rule.

The overriding power of the central government thus reveals a deeper contradiction in the very structure of the Indian state. Technically the BJP supporters are not wrong when they claim a procedural right to pass legislation. That is why the government has thus far rejected calls to annul the laws.

However, by being so obstinate in the face of unanimous and sustained regional opposition, they have inadvertently provoked the question of the limits of democracy itself. With only 13 and 10 seats in parliament respectively, Punjab and Haryana will hardly ever matter electorally. The combined population of these two states is over 53 million people with large global diasporas – a small proportion of India’s total of 1.3 billion, but more than the populations of Spain, Columbia or South Korea.

Also, the two states are of major importance to India’s food security. For the past five decades, Punjab alone has on average produced over two-thirds of the wheat and rice that made India food self-sufficient. Should its fate be decided by politicians elected from other, more populous states? What does it mean to be a forever minority in a country claiming to be the world’s largest democracy? Is the rule of the people nothing more than a crass tally of numbers?

What the BJP and its supporters fail to realise is that their intransigence is having the opposite of its intended effect. Rather than weaken the protesters, it has invigorated many of them beyond demanding a repeal of the laws to debating the meaning of democracy and the purpose of federalism. It has not only drawn in vast numbers of people from across India, but has become an international issue, with massive support rallies in cities across the world and concerns raised by politicians in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, and at the United Nations.

This upsurge proves that governance cannot be conducted at the point of a ballot any more than at the point of a baton. Electoral mandates are not the sole means to decide the future of diverse peoples with distinctive histories, economies and cultures. Only when democracy is reduced to an arithmetic tyranny are people compelled to demonstrate the creative power of their own numbers. This is indeed a global lesson for leaders elsewhere blinded by majoritarian clout.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.

Navyug Gill
Assistant Professor in the Department of History at William Paterson University.
Navyug Gill is a historian of modern South Asia and global capitalism. His current research explores questions of labour, caste and agrarian politics in colonial Panjab.

India harrowed by ‘black law’ agricultural reforms


NEHA BHATT
GURUGRAM, INDIA
SPECIAL TO THE GLOBE AND MAIL
DECEMBER 11, 2020
Open this photo in gallery
Indian farmers listen to speakers as they sit in a protest against the new farm laws on December 11, 2020 at the Delhi-Haryana state border, India.

YAWAR NAZIR /GETTY IMAGES

The protest against three big agricultural reforms in India has entered a third week, swelling into a historic, politically polarizing movement that has swept hundreds of thousands of farmers from their lands in the states of Punjab and Haryana to march to the borders of Delhi.

More than 300,000 farmers, camping along the highways at five major entry points to the capital city, have been demanding the rollback of “black laws” that were passed by the central government in September. The reforms, meant to liberalize agriculture, will allow farmers to sell crops to anyone, loosening the prevailing state-controlled market model to deregulate crop pricing, procurement and storage of agricultural produce. But farmers say the laws favour corporate interests by dismantling their bargaining power and will destroy their livelihoods. The government insists the laws are progressive and will double farmer income in two years.

Beyond the barricades put in place along the borders by the police, hundreds of makeshift tents pitched over trolleys and tractors and Sikh community kitchens have sprung up on long stretches of the highways, where the farmers gather, holding discussions and rallies, waving flags and raising slogans. “We will camp here as long as it takes for the government to scrap the laws, six months, a year … ,” said Onkar Singh, general secretary of the Bharatiya Kisan Union, one of the farmer groups from Punjab leading the protest. “There is no dearth of food or blankets to protect us from the cold. It is a collective movement with support pouring in from everywhere.”

The two sides are deadlocked. At first, as the farmers crowded around the borders of the capital city last month, the police used tear gas shells and water cannons to disperse them. The farmers called for a nationwide strike on Dec. 8. After multiple rounds of negotiations, farmers’ union leaders rejected the government’s proposal to amend the laws. The farmers said they will settle for no less than a repeal and are intensifying the movement, with thousands more joining in from the bordering states of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. A nationwide protest is planned for Dec. 14, along with a blockade of railway tracks.

The agitation has steadily gained national and global attention, sparking protests in several Indian cities and in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, led by the Punjabi diaspora.

Extending support, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently said “Canada will always be there to defend the right to peaceful protest.” The Indian foreign ministry called his comments “unacceptable interference in our internal affairs” adding, “We expect the Canadian Government to ensure the fullest security of Indian diplomatic personnel and its political leaders to refrain from pronouncements that legitimize extremist activism.”

Politicians belonging to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party have attempted to discredit the protest publicly on multiple occasions. They’ve claimed the protests have “extremist Khalistani elements” (the Khalistan movement consists of Sikh separatists), and that the dissent is backed by Pakistan and China. Sections of the media and public have been distrustful too, calling it a “Punjab farmers’ protest” and not a national issue. A delegation of the major opposition parties, meanwhile, has stepped up support to the movement, officially asking for the laws to be struck down.

“What the farmers are demanding is Minimum Support Price (MSP), or an assured price, for 23 crops to be made a legal right, said food policy analyst and researcher Devinder Sharma, referring to commodities such as cereals, pulses, commercial crops, oilseeds.

“Only 6 per cent of farmers get the minimum pricing at the moment – most of them from Punjab and Haryana. The rest of the 94 per cent of farmers are not aware of it and are dependent on private markets already. So the benchmark, which is the assured price, must have a legal stamp.”

To add to the concerns, deregulating markets in states such as Bihar hasn’t shown any increase in farmer income.

Agriculture is the largest employer in India, taking up 50 per cent of the labour force and accounting for 17 per cent of the GDP.

“The cost of agricultural production has increased, and so has farmer debt, which is why MSP is very important to farmers,” said Inderjit Singh, Haryana vice-president of All-India Kisan Sangharsh Co-ordination Committee, which represents 250 farmers’ organizations. “Though the government has said MSP will remain, the fear is that the new laws will dilute the existing model and that agriculture will be taken over by the private sector, with a corporate takeover of farm land.”

Farmers have questioned the policy of “contract farming”, wherein they will have to produce what private companies demand, which they said will leave them at the mercy of corporations. Addressing the media, agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar said, “It is being projected that the land of farmers will be occupied by industrialists. Contract farming has been going on for long in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Haryana, Punjab, Karnataka,” but, he said, so far this has not come to pass in those regions.

“The farm bills are not an issue isolated to farmers,” said Preeti Sharma Menon, national spokesman for the Aam Aadmi Party, which is currently in power in the Delhi government. “Once the prices of commodities go up, it will affect all of us. The government has already sold all public-sector companies to corporates like the Adanis and Ambanis, and is now in the process of selling farmland.”

The anger on the streets, added Mr. Sharma, isn’t merely against the new legislation. “Agriculture has been deliberately impoverished and kept economically unviable, to push eople out from rural areas to provide cheaper labour in the cities. The Economy Survey 2016 found the average income for a farming family is 20,000 rupees [$345] a year. It tells you that over the years farmers have been deprived of the right price for their produce, and the anger has built up and is being channelled [toward] these central laws.”

© Copyright 2020 The Globe and Mail Inc. All rights reserved.

 

INDIA
Bid to label farmers as 'separatists', says British MP Dhesi

Chandigarh, Dec 13 (IANS): British Labour parliamentarian Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, who has been a vocal supporter of the protesting farmers in India, has slammed the media for spreading 'misinformation' in a bid to label protesting farmers as 'separatists or terrorists'.

The outspoken Sikh MP for Slough, who earlier wrote to British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab along with 35 other cross-party MPs asking to raise the issue of farmers' agitation with New Delhi, tweeted on Saturday, "Your abuse and intimidation won't deter me from speaking the truth".



In a series of tweets, Dhesi said, "Some in the media have begun misinformation of labelling peaceful farmers, or those speaking up for them, as separatists or terrorists.

"You do a disservice to your nation and profession."

"Hater troll factory: your abuse and intimidation won't deter me from speaking the truth," he said.

He shared screenshots of media outlets that had made attempts to defame the protesting farmers.

"Can't take credit for attending a protest, let alone organising one. Please stick to the facts, rather than weakening one of the key pillars of a democracy," he added.

Dhesi last week asked Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Parliament to comment on the farmers' protests and asked to convey concerns about the force being used against them and a speedy resolution to the current deadlock to the Indian Prime Minister.

In a response, Johnson, who misheard the question and confused the protest with Indo-Pak dispute, replied, "Our view is that of course, we have serious concerns about what is happening between India and Pakistan but these are pre-eminently matters for those two governments to settle and I know that he appreciates that point."

In his earlier tweets, Dhesi said: "Many constituents, especially those emanating from the Punjab, have contacted MPs to express solidarity with the farmers opposing farmers Bill 2020 in India.

"Dozens of MPs duly deliberated and signed a cross-party letter, seeking justice for the peacefully protesting farmers."

The development comes as farmers, largely from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, have continued their protests at the Delhi-Haryana and Delhi-Uttar Pradesh borders.

The agitated farmers are demanding the repeal of the three farm laws passed by Parliament in September and have expressed apprehension that they would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporate houses.

The government has maintained that the new laws will provide farmers with better opportunities. It has also accused the opposition parties of misleading farmers.

The uprising of India’s farmers: The significance and history behind the worldwide protests

By Taz Dhaliwal Global News

CANADA
Posted December 12, 2020 
Updated December 13, 2020 

As a standoff between tens of thousands of protesting farmers and the Indian government continues to intensify over new legislation farmers claim will threaten their livelihoods, Taz Dhaliwal takes a look at the factors that led to the demonstrations which have garnered international attention.

Farmers in India continue to stand their ground at border points in the country.

A standoff between the Indian government and tens of thousands of farmers — who are peacefully protesting against three farming reform bills — continues to grow near Delhi.

The #DelhiChalo peaceful protests have sparked others to take place across India and other countries, with many Punjabi and Sikh farmers leading the charge on the ground locally and abroad to raise awareness about the issue.

On Sept. 20, the bills were passed into law by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

“What we see in India is an incredibly powerful dominant party, like we’ve not seen since the 1970s, and a prime minister who looms large over the political landscape,” said Sanjay Ruparelia, Jarislowsky democracy chair and associate professor of politics at Ryerson University.

Ruparelia said the protests, which have essentially unfolded as a farmer’s movement, are truly “remarkable.”

The Indian government has argued the changes will give farmers more freedom, but farmers argue the new legislation will drive down their products’ prices with no safeguards to protect them against corporate takeovers and exploitation, further devastating their livelihoods.

READ MORE: Here’s why farmers in India are protesting and why Canadians are concerned

“The political side is that this government has been very autocratic in the way in which it has pushed through big reforms,” Ruparelia said.

“I should say on the agricultural side, the reforms they put through in September, there were a lot of economists and others who thought there had to be some reforms in the agricultural system, whether these are designed properly or not, is the question,” Ruparelia said.

Sixty per cent of India’s workforce is employed in the agriculture sector, but the industry only represents about 15 per cent of India’s GDP, with a majority being small scale farmers.

The concern behind the protests

Many protestors by the Delhi border points are from the states of Punjab and Haryana, which are considered India’s bread basket.
 
Although, the peaceful demonstrations turned violent when the government used military tactics to clamp down on the dissent being expressed by frustrated farmers.

Protestors have been met with water cannons on some of the coldest winter days Delhi has experienced, along with tear gas, concrete barricades, and some were even beaten with batons. Many of the farmers are also seniors.

Despite the agitation from the government, farmers remain strong in their resolve to see the bills repealed in order to protect their future.

Khalsa Aid International is a non-governmental organization that has been providing protestors with shelter, clothing, food, water, first-aid kits, hygiene products, and even fire-extinguishers at the encampment site by the Delhi border. Volunteers are stationed at three different areas.

“So our team has actually been working with the India team for several months. The protests themselves started in Punjab after these kind of three controversial bills were passed in September,” Khalsa Aid Canada national director Jatinder Singh said.

The organization said it’s deeply troubled by what its volunteers have witnessed as protestors endure the implementation of brute force by the Indian government.

“For us, it was very difficult to see the families, the elderly farmers being subjected to the water canon and tear gas,” Singh said.

“You know people often say India’s this vibrant democracy, but the only thing really vibrating were the tear gas canisters, that were being thrown at these peaceful protestors.”

Singh said he hopes the negotiation talks between the dozens of farmer’s unions and the Indian government will result in an outcome allowing farmers to be able to sustain their livelihoods.

The largest protest in human history is going on in India and we the world cannot afford to be silent.

Let’s raise our voices against violence and support equal human rights for all.#HumanRightsDay #FarmerProtests 🌾 pic.twitter.com/CMkecWa9QQ

— Khalsa Aid Canada (@khalsaaidca) December 10, 2020

He also said Khalsa Aid is not currently fundraising for the farmers, despite receiving some voluntary monetary donations from people. Singh said the donations they already received will go towards helping protestors with their humanitarian needs.

Singh said the farmers have made it clear they do not want funds to be raised for them, instead they ask that people continue to show solidarity by raising their voice and concerns over the bills.

The World Sikh Organization of Canada (WSO), which promotes and protects the interests of Sikhs in Canada and around the world and advocates for the protection of human rights for all, has also expressed concern over the troubling treatment of protestors as they try to practice their democratic right to peacefully protest.

“I was particularly worried and terrified for my own family members. We actually have an uncle who’s part of a union and he’s out there,” said Harman Kandola, Alberta vice-president with the World Sikh Organization.

Kandola said this concern is due to the Indian government having a history of violence against Sikhs and other minorities in the country.

“So it’s unsurprising in some elements where there is use of violence when you’re talking about peaceful protestors,” Kandola said.

He says the protestors are simply asking to be heard, and based on his conversations with people on the ground in Delhi, many feel disenfranchised due to the barriers that have been put in their way when they tried marching to their own country’s capitol, making them feel like outsiders.

Kandola said with so much of the Indian diaspora that exists throughout North America coming from Punjab, those individuals are genuinely concerned about the well-being of their family and friends in India.


“So, when we see these farmers we see our brothers, our sisters, our family members, we see our forefathers,” Kandola explained.
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“For so many of us, our families tilled the land in India. They were farmers, that is our background, and so it’s hard to disconnect from that. You’re always connected to that spirit,” he said.

READ MORE: ‘We feel hopeless’: Indo-Canadian Punjabis fear for families in Indian farmers’ protests

The anti-farm bills being protested

The first, the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, will allow farmers to deal directly with corporations and private buyers.

The bills allow farmers to sell their produce outside government-controlled agricultural markets called ‘Mandi’s’, which ensured prices wouldn’t get too high.

The bill may also mark an end to a decades-old system guaranteeing minimum support prices for staple crops called an MSP.

The second law, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, deals with pricing. The bill will push farmers, corporations and private buyers to negotiate contracts. However, several farmers have voiced their concerns over not having the bargaining power to negotiate with corporate giants.

The bill also curtails farmers’ ability to challenge contract disputes in court.

And the third, the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, seeks the “modernization” of India’s food supply chain by reducing stockpiling, removing commodities like “cereals, pulses, oilseeds, edible oils, onion and potatoes” from the current list of essential commodities.

It also aims to “drive up investment in cold storages” and give farmers the “freedom to produce, hold, move, distribute and supply” their products.

However experts have noted since most of India’s farmers are small-scale farmers, they wouldn’t have the ability to compete with corporations when it comes to stockpiling and producing on a large scale, giving rich investors an unfair advantage and an opportunity to manipulate market prices.

“With the entry of the corporate private players into this agricultural procurement and agricultural production, what they see is that they will have complete control over how much they produce and how much they’ll pay back the producers,” 

said Chinnaiah Jangam, associate professor, History of modern South Asia

 Carleton University.

Jangam goes on to say it is important to note the legitimate fear many farmers have of losing their ancestral lands to corporations, due to not being able to compete on the same level.

In some cases where debt has gotten unbearable, farmers have had to give up their lands when they’re unable to pay back their loans.

An additional concern is that these bills were passed without stakeholders being consulted or deliberation from the opposition.

“What has agitated a lot of opposition in India is precisely the fact the government rammed through these bills, these momentous bills, essentially liberalizing agriculture without any deliberation in parliament,” Ruparelia explained.

“The opposition requested these bills go to parliamentary committee for further scrutiny, the government disallowed it.”

India’s agricultural history

Although, crisis in the agriculture sector in India is nothing new as the industry has been suffering for decades.

The face of agriculture changed significantly in the 1960s, when India went through the green revolution, under then prime minister Indira Gandhi, who implemented the growth of high-yielding wheat and rice crops to address famine in the country.

The revolution marked the beginning of industrializing the agriculture sector, and introducing new methods of fertilization and the use of pesticides, and some farmers felt they had been exploited in order to produce these high-yielding crops for the government.

“One line of critique was that it lead to growing inequalities and disparities in the Indian countryside between richer farmers with large farm holding assets and a vast surplus of agricultural labour,” Ruparelia said.

Post-Green Revolution, the production of wheat and rice doubled because of initiatives put forth by the government, and the production of crops such as indigenous rice varieties and millets declined.

This then lead to the loss of distinct indigenous crops from cultivation and even caused extinction.

Fast forward to the 1990s when corporate genetically modified seeds were introduced to increase even higher yields.

Ever since then, farmers have been taking huge loans to pay for irrigation, fertilization and pesticides, but in instances where they saw no return on their investments, some die by suicide in large numbers, when they feel trapped in a cycle of debt.

More than 300,000 farmers have taken their own lives in India over the last two decades.

Suicide, along with substance abuse and the mental health of farmers have been additional ongoing concerns in the Indian agriculture sector.

History professor Jangam said in a historical sense, farmers symbolized a lot of dignity and self respect, but he said these reforms, and the decades leading up to them, have placed many in unaffordable debt, stripping them of fair prices for the crops they labour over.

Jangam goes on to speak of a time when farmers where more self-reliant, were able to take more pride in their work and weren’t on the brink of being at the mercy of corporations.

“They are the most self-respecting people, because they don’t have to work for anyone, they can just live on their land,” he said.

“This system has robbed their dignity.”

And now these protests may just be the farmers way of saying ‘enough is enough,’ as many see this most recent legislation as the straw that broke the camels back.

READ MORE: Music motivates mounting movement in India as farmers reject govt proposals

The unwavering farmer’s protests represent a symbolic fight towards salvaging their depleting livelihoods.

-With files from Global News’ Emerald Bensadoun
© 2020 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Farmers' protests in India are not just about land rights. They're about our very identity

These protesters are defending their culture — and the issues they're fighting have global implications

CANADA IS HOME TO THE LARGEST SIKH DIASPORA OUTSIDE OF THE PUNJAB

Raji Aujla, Jagdeesh Mann · for CBC News Opinion · Posted: Dec 12, 2020 

Protesting farmers shout slogans as they clash with police while attempting to move toward Delhi, at the border between Delhi and Haryana state on Nov. 27. Thousands of farmers in India faced tear gas and baton charges from police after they resumed their march to the capital against new farming laws that they fear will give more power to corporations and reduce their earnings. (Altaf Qadri/The Associated Press)


This is an opinion column by Raji Aujla and Jagdeesh Mann, both Punjabi-Canadians who live in B.C. For more information about CBC's Opinion section, please see the FAQ.

Over the past couple of weeks, you may have come across news stories of farmers protesting in India or local support protests in other countries, including Canada.

The farmers, the majority of whom are Sikh, have been protesting legislation in India that deregulates agricultural markets and opens them to private corporations. The farmers fear these "reforms" will lead to the eventual elimination of government price protections, which in turn will push them off their ancestral farmlands.

As descendents of Punjabi-Canadian farmers, we support this protest because the consequences of these bills are far greater than the loss of land assets. They threaten the essence of our culture and identity.

Indian farmers escalate protest against new laws with countrywide strike

To understand why Punjabi identity and culture are rooted in the land, consider Raji's mother, Gurbakhash Kaur Aujla.

She was raised on her family's land near the Himalayan foothills, as her ancestors were before her. The matriarchs in Raji's family anchored large households and worked shoulder to shoulder with the men on the family's wheat and dairy farms. For them, owning and working the land was integral to living within a culture that holds self-reliance, independence and living in tune with nature in high esteem.

After Raji's mother married, she and her husband immigrated to Canada and, like many other Sikh migrants, carried on their farming traditions. They settled in the Okanagan Valley and helped revive B.C.'s flagging fruit-farming sector, tending to orchards that grew apples, cherries and pears.

Raji Aujla at her family’s apple orchard in B.C.’s Okanagan Valley. (Submitted by Raji Aujla)

These farming traditions are passed on to subsequent generations. Although I, Raji, left the farm shortly after high school, I regularly feel its absence, especially at the times of year when the seasons turn. It's a twinge that, I suspect, is similar to what my parents felt when they arrived in this country — a disconnection from the natural world where everything has its own place.

This rootedness to Earth runs deep in our homeland of Punjab, a lush, fertile, agrarian region intersected by five large river systems. Agriculture is more than a livelihood; it is the bedrock of the region's language, culture and, in our case, our religion.

Guru Nanak — the founder of Sikhism, which emerged from Punjab — tilled his own fields. Metaphors of cultivation, harvests and seasons breathe through every chapter of the Sikh scripture we follow. The coda to Japji Sahib (our morning prayer) contains a homage to nature: "Pavan Guru Pani Pita, Mata Dharat Mahat." This translates to: "Air is the teacher, water the father, and the earth is the great mother."

CBC EXPLAINSWhat's behind the farmers' protests that are blocking highways in India

Knowing this context is crucial to understanding the depth of anguish and desperation among the tens of thousands of farmers marching on India's capital, New Delhi.

Their sense of identity — economically and culturally — is at stake.

Households in the diaspora have been glued to the news, watching helplessly as this conflict unfolds. Okanagan farmers have reiterated how crucial the land is to their sense of self.

"Their attachment to their land is nothing less than a child's attachment to its mother," said the group that organized a recent rally in Penticton, B.C.

Even now, I, Raji, identify as a farmer's daughter before anything else, accountable to land, not politics. My favourite childhood memories include working alongside my paternal grandfather and my parents during the autumn harvest.

Gurbakhash Kaur Aujla, right, and her daughter, Raji Aujla, come from a long line of farmers in both India and Canada. (Submitted by Raji Aujla)

So our hearts break when we see Sikh elders — seniors like Raji's grandfather — being attacked with water cannons, tear gas and batons while protesting peacefully in India.

These elders are the freedom riders of this protest, with little to gain personally but with everything to give to the next generation: their plots, their traditions, their humility and their centuries-old way of life that was bestowed upon them.

Hundreds of vehicles join Surrey convoy in solidarity with Indian farmers

This standoff between family farmers and multinationals in India is also a standoff between diversity and monoculture, between living locally and living unsustainably.

Our country has long protected its agricultural sector and in doing so protects its local economy. So, when you scroll social media feeds and see videos of the turmoil in India, know that this isn't a local and distant squabble. It's a global issue extending to Canadians as well.

We consume the benefits of these farmers' labour, from the cotton of our crewnecks to the spices in our lattes. Turmeric, cinnamon, star anise, cardamom, black pepper, pomegranates — we have Indian farmers to thank for this supply.

This land is at the heart of Punjab's culture, and without it, Punjab's traditions are imperilled. There is no "market price" that any corporation could ever offer to adequately square the demise of these or any other family farming traditions.

Protesters gather outside India’s consulate in Vancouver on Dec. 2 to protest the proposed regulations affecting farmers in India. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

Do you have a strong opinion that could change how people think about an issue? A personal story that can educate or help others? We want to hear from you.

CBC Vancouver is looking for British Columbians who want to write 500-600-word opinion and point of view pieces. Send us a pitch at bcvoices@cbc.ca and we'll be in touch.


Read more opinion and point of view columns from British Columbians

ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Raji Aujla  is the founder of Willendorf Cultural Planning and Newest Magazine, focusing on better representation and inclusion of Black, Indigenous and People of Colour voices in Canadian arts, media, and culture. Follow her on Twitter: @goodbeti.

 

TMX faces court application

Chris Campbell / Burnaby Now - Dec 12, 2020 / 12:45 pm | Story: 319126

Photo: Contributed

Dr. Tim Takaro occupied some trees in Burnaby during the summer.

A filing was submitted to the B.C. Supreme Court on Friday in an effort to stop tree clearing in Burnaby for the construction of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project.

The application, made on behalf of public health physician Dr. Tim Takaro, is a “last-ditch attempt” to halt work which began Wednesday morning in a riparian zone near the Brunette River in Burnaby, said a news release. 

The court filing argues that the approval process did not consider the downstream climate impacts of the project and asks that the court set aside the injunction order protecting the TMX route.  

“The approach differs from previous legal challenges to the TMX pipeline in that prior attempts to set aside the injunction have not raised the ‘downstream effects’ of actually burning the bitumen in the pipeline, which would add considerably more CO2 to the atmosphere than the ‘upstream’ process of extracting and transporting it,” said Martin Peters, the lawyer representing the applicants.

“The court will have to re-consider issues of irreparable harm and balancing the financial interests of Trans Mountain with the harm to the planet that follows from the use of this fuel.” 

The filing was triggered by police clearing out the Holmes Creek Protection Camp in Burnaby Wednesday morning.

The area is located within a section of the pipeline route along the Brunette River that is home to endangered salmon, Nooksack Dace and other species. Five climbers, including Takaro, occupied a small platform suspended between two trees in the area in August and September.

UCP RENT A CROWD TURN ON KENNEY
Anti-mask protest held at Alberta legislature grounds in violation of new restrictions
WHERE WERE THE RIOT COPS?
CTV News Edmonton Staff
Published Saturday, December 12, 2020 

Anti-mask rally in Edmonton on Dec. 12, 2020.

EDMONTON -- Another anti-mask rally was held Saturday outside the Alberta legislature building.

Colder temperatures and provincial restrictions didn't stop a crowd of more than 200 from gathering.

Like previous rallies, there was no evidence of any tickets handed out on site.

On Friday, Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson tweeted that Edmonton police do not have jurisdiction over the legislature grounds an must be invited by sheriffs to attend.

I fully agree these gatherings are disrespectful and mortally reckless at this point and should stop.

However, for byzantine reasons, the @CityofEdmonton does not actually have jurisdiction over the #ableg grounds. @edmontonpolice must be invited by #abgov’s Sherrifs to attend. https://t.co/RgQjG9SGlq
— Don Iveson (@doniveson) December 11, 2020

Earlier this week the province banned all indoor and outdoor social gatherings.

Saskatoon

'Without enforcement, there is no law': Sask. police, government urged to sanction COVID-19 protesters SO SHOULD ALBERTA

WHITE PEOPLE PROTEST NO RIOT COPS

Regina anti-mask protest planned as 12th care home resident dies and COVID-19 case numbers swell

Jason Warick · CBC News · Posted: Dec 11, 2020 

Hundreds attended this rally in Saskatoon last weekend to protest COVID-19 restrictions. A similar event is planned for Regina Saturday. Some are hoping police step up enforcement to stop these potential 'superspreader' events. (Mr. YXE/Twitter)


As the care home death toll mounts and the hospitals fill, hundreds of protesters are planning to descend on Regina to chant and protest without masks against COVID-19 restrictions Saturday afternoon.

Just like an event last weekend in Saskatoon, the Regina protest itinerary appears to violate current public health orders, including the 30-person gathering limit. Aside from the Regina attendees, caravans are being organized to depart from Saskatoon, Weyburn and other locations early Saturday morning.

And like the Saskatoon event, it's unclear whether the Regina Police Service or the provincial government plans to enforce the law through tickets, fines or arrests.

Some worry the unmasked protesters will be "superspreaders" of the virus, and the lack of strong police enforcement is emboldening them.

Criminal lawyer and University of Saskatchewan lecturer Brian Pfefferle says laws have no power if they aren't enforced. Pfefferle says he expects Regina police to be watching closely at the planned anti-mask rally planned for Regina this weekend. (Matthew Garand/CBC)

Lawyer and University of Saskatchewan lecturer Brian Pfefferle said people should not be allowed to openly defy the law without consequences, especially laws designed to protect the health of fellow citizens.

"If a law is in place, it should be enforced," Pfefferle said. "That is, at its core, the rule of law. If we have laws without enforcement, there is no law."

He said police can issue tickets, but they can also break up large gatherings. Pfefferle said Regina police may have to make some tough decisions, but they can't ignore illegal acts.

"If individuals are not charged with flouting the rules, the law has no effect," he said.

Regina cardiologist Dr. Andrea Lavoie is urging protesters to reconsider and stay home.

If they don't, Lavoie agreed with Pfefferle — the laws must be enforced to protect the vulnerable.

She said other rallies in Manitoba and elsewhere have caused large spikes in COVID-19 cases in those communities.

Anti-mask sentiment 'very similar to brainwashing,' prof says in wake of Sask. COVID-19 protest
Teens crash anti-mask mandate protest in Regina

Lavoie, who has worked long hours in Regina hospitals for months, said life has been frustrating for everyone. But endangering your family and community at a protest will make things worse, she said.

"I think we all have to band together in our aloneness and try to follow the rules as best we can so that we can prevent more people from dying or being harmed by COVID-19."

Regina cardiologist Dr. Andrea Lavoie is urging protesters to stay home from a planned event in Regina Saturday. She said a large gathering will endanger their family and the community. (Submitted by Dr. Andrea Lavoie)

Lavoie hopes news of a vaccine will give people hope and greater resilience to endure the current restrictions.

An RPS official said they've "reached out to organizers to ensure that they are aware of the public health orders," and police will be monitoring traffic safety.

"We will monitor the event and determine appropriate action, based upon all the circumstances the day of the rally."

Health Minister Paul Merriman was asked by reporters Thursday about the Regina rally and whether there needs to be enforcement of public health laws.

Merriman began by saying that "there's been a lot of rallies that have been held." Merriman then said "people have a right to express themselves," and said he hopes they'll follow the law.

A similar rally was held in Saskatoon last weekend. Saskatoon police escorted hundreds of unmasked protesters up the Broadway Bridge.

On a video live streamed to YouTube, one participant invites others to join, then pans the camera toward the police vehicles escorting the group.

"Cops are leading the march! Cops are leading the march! Anyone who's scared to get a ticket, you won't. Whooooo! Freedom!" she said.

Saskatoon Police Service Supt. Cameron McBride said in an email there is "no police response that will satisfy everyone's unique sense of justice." He said aggressive enforcement can do more harm than good.

"We cannot afford to antagonize an already emotionally charged group of people, who could turn to violence and property damage to make themselves heard," McBride said.

A police official said the investigation is ongoing, but no one has been arrested or charged yet.

Regina rally promoter Mark Friesen says the event to protest COVID-19 restrictions will go ahead no matter what police do or don't do. (markfriesen.ca) COVIDIOT

Rally promoter Mark Friesen said the Saskatoon event went well. He said Regina's will go on peacefully as planned, no matter what police do or don't do.

"If people want to exercise their rights afforded them under the Constitution, I encourage them to do so," he said.

Friesen repeated many of the claims circulating on social media about the virus, masks and vaccines. He said the public health orders violate his rights to assembly and the right to not wear a mask.

He said the rallies are safe because he's hugged people at them and never gotten sick.

Lavoie said that is not evidence. She urged protesters to educate themselves or find someone to help them understand.

Other jurisdictions have used enforcement as a staple of their COVID-19 plan. In the Australian state of Victoria, which includes the city of Melbourne, 25,000 fines of more than $1,000 each were issued. That region has now been COVID-free for 41 days and is opening its economy and lifting restrictions.

In Saskatchewan, a 12th person died this week at a single Regina care home operation. Daily case averages, hospitalizations and deaths across the province have reached record levels.

According to the latest figures, fewer than 100 Saskatchewan people or organizations have been sanctioned for COVID-19 violations since March.

Protest against mandatory masks in Saskatoon's Midtown mall shut down by police

Saskatoon police hands out first fine for Sask. Public Healt