Is Repealing the Farms Laws, the only End we Want?

Nanak nanhe he raho jaise nanhi Duv, aur rukh sukh jaati hai nanhe khoob ke khoob ----Baba Nanak   

      

Allama Iqbal's 'Nanak'https://sikhri.org/articles/allama-iqbal-and-the-sikhs

The phrase is still relevant today in the time of turmoil when thousands/millions of the farmers and activists are resisting the farm laws from the past one year. The masses didn’t give up, they kept their spirit alive, irrespective of the wholesale of atrocities inflicted upon them by either Centre or State authorities or by the hordes backed by these authorities. The teachings of Baba Nanak have still not lost their ground to the reality of this digital society, the society which on the technological aspects is looking to conquer the Moon and Mars but on the social aspects is not capable enough to give equality to the species of their own kind. On the other hand, It is using these technologies to further expand the gap between those who are controlling it and those who are being controlled by it. The gap is never decreasing under the present discourse, like these laws were brought to shift the profit and control of, the first ever type of production done by the Human species which became the source of the establishment of the modern-day civilization, from the producers to the corporate surviving on the exploitation of labour.  

The sacrifice of more than 700 farmers didn’t shook the consciousness of this Regime but the fear of losing the power is enough to act upon the demands of the millions on the eve of Guru Nanak Jayanti. The eve is being used as a political tool to hit the emotions of particular community. This questions how the narrative about the identity of being Kisan (farmer) is represented as only restricted to the Sikh community. Though Baba Nanak is important to all of us but how these identities are being manipulated in the political discourse is an important thing to be noticed. It shows us that this regime and the political culture of Indian politics has never left a single opportunity of furthering divide and rule.

Now, the act of the Centre to repeal the laws puts forward many questions of political, sociological, and legal discourses in India. And out of them, one of the questions is about the political motive behind this. What is the target population of this act of repealing, is it the population of upcoming U.P. elections only or does it imply something else also? If it was only to motivate the farmers of the U.P. then why it was done on the eve of Baba Nanak Jayanti? Does it have something to do with the rumors of negotiations that were going on between Capt. Amarinder Singh and Amit Shah to form a coalition in the Punjab elections? Well, for the time being, it is clear that it is a well-sorted move of the Centre keeping in mind the dynamics of the present political scenario and the rest depends upon those who were fighting this struggle against the Farm Bills. Will the scars remain or will they be swept away by the celebration of the feat obtained by the struggle?

Another aspect to be noticed is, how the constitutional institutions are being manipulated and used to do whatever suits the survival of the regime, irrespective of the constitutional morality. The Parliament enacts whatever suits its political agenda because of the majority in the Houses. Then, it defends to its best by its own members, social and political pressure groups, and by its infamous fourth Pillar of Democracy in the perfect way a tyrant can do. Then, the regime one day, out of nowhere, decides to take back its enactments without any considerable justifications. If these were not capable of implementation and are to be taken back then what is the liability of the regime for those millions of the protestors? And if now the regime has considerable reasons to repeal them then where were these reasons when the laws were publicly declared to be implemented.

Is convincing the only function of the Parliament? That we are able to convince or not convince you irrespective of the actual policy. In the end, the best thing about the Judiciary, the guardian and savior of the Constitution is its role and its agenda to not hold the disputed laws unconstitutional. May it be said that there is the separation of power, then what will be the role of the Judiciary in delivering justice to those who have fallen in the course of this movement against the tyranny- which is just shaking the pillars of the democracy in accordance to its agendas of prima facie, biases against the minorities of this country.

                          

The end is not the only thing to be remembered, what is to be remembered is the process, the moments of struggle, the sacrifice, and the valor to hold us all together in this whole time of resistance. Again, whatever it is, the repeal or another ‘Jhumla’ but the only thing we have to do is to be like those ‘Nanahe Duv’, which will never fade away or get burned in the middle of this turmoil of mankind.

 

By: Himanshoo Atri