Farmers Protest: Shashi Tharoor Supports Farmers Delhi Chalo March, Criticizes Government’s Approach

Why are farmers protesting?

• Farmers from various states of India have been marching towards Delhi to protest against three farm laws passed by the central government in September 2020.
• The laws aim to liberalize the agricultural sector by allowing farmers to sell their produce to private buyers, bypassing the regulated markets (mandis) and the minimum support price (MSP) system.
• The farmers fear that the laws will expose them to the vagaries of the market, reduce their bargaining power, and make them vulnerable to exploitation by big corporations.

How has the government responded?

• The government has defended the laws as pro-farmer and pro-reform, claiming that they will increase farmers’ income, provide them more choices, and reduce the role of middlemen.
• The government has also invited the farmers for talks and negotiations, but the farmers have rejected the offers, demanding a complete repeal of the laws.
• The government has deployed heavy security forces, barricades, and water cannons to prevent the farmers from entering Delhi and to maintain law and order.

What does Shashi Tharoor say?

• Shashi Tharoor, a senior leader of the opposition Congress party and a former minister of state for external affairs, has expressed his support for the farmers and criticized the government’s approach.
• He said that it is a democratic right of the farmers to protest and to be heard in the nation’s capital, and that the government should have learned a lesson from the previous farm agitation in 2018-19, which ended with the government withdrawing the draft land acquisition bill after a year-long protest by the farmers.
• He said that the government should consult the stakeholders, explain the problems and benefits of the laws, and deal with the issue in a more humane and democratic manner, rather than putting up barriers and fortifying the city.