Farmers Return to Their Homes With Promise to Return for Greater Movement

With scores of residents flooding on the roads to say their final goodbye, thousands of jubilant farmers stationed at different borders of the national capital for more than a year against contentious three central farm laws, now repealed, returned to their homes on Saturday in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. Residents of the Sonipat District showered flowers and distributed sweets to acknowledge the victory of returning farmers. The union government agreed to their demands of repealing the laws and other demands such as the formation of a committee to fix minimum support price (MSP) with clear terms of references that the farmers should get it as legal entitlement, withdrawing of criminal cases registered during the year-long agitation across the country, compensation to the kin of died farmers and redressal of concerns in Electricity Amendment Act before tabling it in parliament.

A conversation with the returning farmers signalled an intact belief in Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) - a collective of farmers' unions that spearheaded the agitation - for upcoming struggles. Baljeet Singh, who is going back to his village in Mohali district of Punjab, told NewsClick that they would return to the borders if the centre engaged again in misadventures concerning the farmers.

" The victory came after 700 farmers sacrificed their lives on borders. I think the government would not indulge in misadventures. If it does, we will be back on the streets on one call of SKM. The farmers have the courage and confidence to fight the unjust regimes now!"

Deshpal Dahiya has brought his 15-year son to the KMP flyover to be part of this historic celebration. An emotional Dahiya said that the belief and memories of this historic struggle would travel deep down in children's minds, and they will follow the tradition of struggle when unjust regimes impose unjust laws on the people.

Dahiya said the victory was essential for anyone who shared some belief in democracy.

Abhimanyu Kohar, the youngest member of SKM and a leader of Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Mahasangh, told NewsClick that the movement brought unprecedented unity among the people of Haryana and Punjab, and it is precisely this unity that brought down the ego of a tyrant and shut the supporters of this regime that the supreme leader does not go back on its actions.

"I think the signal is very clear that only those parties will win who put farmers' interests first. For a brief time, the farmers forgot their power. With this movement, they have gained this power that no government can override their interest. Our fight has just begun. We still need to fight for a debt-free life to get the recommendations of the Swaminathan commission implemented."

When asked about the future of SKM, he said, "It will meet again in Delhi on January 15 to assess the development in the promises made by the centre. If it reneges on its promises, the farmers will come back again. As far as the future of struggle is concerned, we have continued Mission Uttar Pradesh to check the authoritarianism of BJP. I think this victory was necessary for us. Anyone who opposed the government was branded anti-national, Khalistani, Terrorists and lodged in Jails. The people will come to know that opposing your government is not anti-national."

During the celebration, NewsClick met Sanjay Malik, who said that he had to pay a hefty price for supporting the agitation at the borders.

Malik owns the famous Hindustan Tiles building, commonly known as Kajaria Tiles at Singhu Border, which served as headquarters for the agitation where SKM leaders met to discuss strategies. Talking to NewsClick, Malik said that the police and local administration mounted enormous pressure on residents and asked them explicitly to get their rooms vacated rented out to protesters.

"I think I helped the government by sheltering the protests in the early days. What would have happened if these protesters died in an accident? It is up to the government to understand this."

Malik said he incurred losses first in pandemic and after the agitation as the administration fined him enormously for frivolous reasons.

"They made it so bad that I had to move my daughter to a relatively cheaper school as I could not afford her studies. Still, I have my belief intact that the farmers fought for just rights."

The wishes also came in from central trade unions, which profoundly supported the agitation by participating in larger calls like the Bharat Bandhs.

In a press statement, the joint platform of central trade unions said, "The working-class movement shares fully their jubilation and pride for success, which arises from the proactive involvement of the working class in consistent and continuous solidarity actions throughout the country with the historic farmers' struggle. We pay homage to those 715 martyrs who laid down their lives with a message for generations to come, never to bend before any tyrannical force. It is in keeping with the maturity shown by the SKM all along that even the celebrations, which are but natural when victory is snatched from the jaws of an all-powerful adversary-the pro-corporate Central Government-after such arduous struggle, have been postponed by a day when the Nation is mourning the tragic death of Defence-force chief and his colleagues owing to helicopter-crash in Tamil nadu."