Haryana: Ahead of No-Trust Vote, Farmer Leaders Pin Hopes on ‘Good Conscience’ of MLAs

Even as the BJP-JJP coalition government is in advantage– numerically speaking – in the no-confidence motion that is to be moved in the upcoming Budget session of the Haryana Assembly, farmer leaders are pinning their hopes on the “good conscience” of the individual Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) to “side with those who elected them”.

A no-confidence motion against the Bharatiya Janata Party-led alliance government in Haryana is set to be moved by the Opposition on March 10, Wednesday. The BJP (40 seats), is currently ruling the state with support of Jananayak Janata Party (JJP) (10 seats) and five independent MLAs in the 90-member Haryana Vidhan Sabha.

Ahead of the no-confidence motion, Bharatiya Kisan Union – Haryana leader Gurnam Singh Chaduni, on Monday, appealed to his supporters to stage protest outside the residences of MLAs in their respective constituencies on March 9, Tuesday, with a demand to ensure that the BJP-JJP government in the state is defeated in the no-confidence motion. 

“Stage a protest at the residences of all the MLAs – belonging to BJP, JJP and independent – and submit a memorandum to them on March 9. We must demand them to ensure that this [BJP-JJP] government is toppled,” he said.

Ever since the reform-oriented farm legislations were passed in Parliament by the BJP-led central government in September, farmers’ groups in Haryana have remained at the forefront in registering their protest against the move that is feared to lead to “corporatisation of Indian agriculture.”

While their anger is targetted against the Centre, evidence being the protest camps at the outskirts of national capital that recently touched the 100-day mark, the farmers’ agitation has also put the state government in a tough spot for obvious reasons over the period.

From using the might of the state administration – police barriers to registration of FIRs – to prevent farmers in Haryana from joining the agitation, the state government – led by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar – left no stone unturned in maintaining unambiguous support to the Centre in latter’s move. 

Also read: Dushyant Chautala, the Likely Loser of the Farmers’ Protest

Not only that, the laws were unchallenged, if not endorsed, by the junior partner JJP, whose voters are known to be majorly constituted of Jat farmers. Resultantly, tensions are already high as they have been finding themselves at the receiving end of the farmers’ ire.

“Let the MLAs of Haryana know that those who do not stand with farmers in this crucial juncture of the farmers' movement will be taught a lesson by the people in future,” Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), the umbrella body spearheading the ongoing agitation, had said earlier in a press statement on March 6.

Chaduni, a prominent member of SKM, on Monday also asked his supporters to “warn” the MLAs in their respective constituencies of “social and electoral boycott” if they do not come out against the farm laws.

Somveer Sangwan, an MLA from Charkhi Dadri Assembly seat who withdrew his support to BJP  earlier in December last year in the wake of farmers’ protest, told NewsClick that over the past months political leaders who have “remained silent” did face flak from farmers’ groups. “However, whether they will ensure the defeat of the state government in the no-confidence motion depends on the good conscience of each of them,” Sangwan, who is also head of his community’s khap, said.

He pointed out that that many of the JJP MLAs in the past have expressed their support for the farmers’ protest.

Inderjit Singh, vice president of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) – Haryana said that the idea is to mount more pressure on the JJP leaders and the independent MLAs since “these are those who were elected after defeating the BJP candidates in the first place.”

“We are not expecting a lot from them, but even then the message is simple – that these leaders must respond and respect the the aspirations of the people and side with those who elected them,” Singh said.

Also read: Undeterred by Arrests of Leaders, Farmers and Workers Charge Ahead With Their Protest Plans