DNA Special: Analysis of 'Bharat bandh' - the negative methods of protests

Farmer unions and political parties across the country participated in the 'Bharat Bandh' on Friday to protest against the farm Bills that were recently passed in the Monsoon Session of Parliament. While Punjab and Haryana continued to witness most prominent protests, the bandh also saw participation from farmer unions in Bengaluru, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha among several other states. 

Along with the 'Bharat Bandh', the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee in Punjab also announced the three-day "rail roko" agitation till September 26 to lodge their protest. Thirteen pairs of trains were also short-terminated as a precautionary measure. Train routes to Punjab are being avoided.

Political parties like the Congress, the Rashtriya Janata Dal in Bihar, Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and several others have criticised the three Bills that were passed in Parliament on Sunday.

The Shiromani Akali Dal also held a protest in Amritsar on Friday after party leader and Lok Sabha MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigned from the Union Cabinet to display her party's opposition to the three Bills.

However, what we want to ponder up on today is that how effective is 'Bharat Bandh' in today's times. In 1980s or 90s, the public supported such 'bandhs' because they were for valid causes. But in today's digital age, no one can really stop India'. Even if there is a physical 'Bharat Bandh', online work, shopping continues and so does work from home.

Protests should be positive in nature. Mahatma Gandhi's idea of non-violence is the biggest example of positive opposition. In Japan, when there is a strike, the production increases further.

Though farmers are protesting against these agriculture reforms but the truth is the current state of the agriculture markets is not in a good shape.

Friday's 'Bharat Bandh' was more about causing disruptions than a positive outcome. It happened essential services in several parts of the country. In Ambala, a convoy of soldiers going to Ladakh was stranded due to 'Chakkajam'. The farmers ' organisations closed the Delhi-Amritsar highway here. We are confident that if there were real farmers who did the 'chakkajam', they would never stop the army trains.

In Pilibhit, up, farmers staged a dharna on National Highway-730. Because of this, it was jammed all day long. The ambulance carrying the patients was also stranded for hours.

In Bengaluru, a demonstration against the agriculture bill was announced. But the placards that the organisers had prepared were written about Climate change. Even after waiting for a long time, 10-20 people arrived at the demonstration. Those who came were not farmers and they did not even know what to oppose.

In Uttar Pradesh, Samajwadi Party leaders in Ballia protested at the district magistrate's office against the agriculture Bills. But they were clueless about the real issue. Same was the case in Haryana's Kaithal.

Members of the Bharatiya Kisan Union on Friday blocked roads in Noida while staging protests near the Delhi border against the recently passed farm Bills. 

"The government is doing whatever it wants without consulting farmers. They have made a joke out of us. The country is riding on the back of farmers, we will not tolerate this. This protest will continue until the government makes a rule for mandatory MSP (minimum support price)," a protesting farmer told

In UP's Rampur, farmers didn't come for the so-called demonstrations. Instead people did their Friday 'namaz' on the streets and went back.

On the one hand, it is politics in the name of farmers and on the other hand, real farmers, who may not have the leisure for such demonstrations. Whenever there is a talk of farmers in our country, a poor man is conceived. But there are many farmers who are making good profits from their cultivation despite all the problems.

Ramesh Bhai Ruparelia, who is resides at Rajkot in Gujarat, has studied only up to the seventh class. But they started the business of organic farming and dairy. Today, they sell their goods in more than 100 countries around the world. Ramesh Bhai started cultivation 14 years ago with the help of cow dung and cow urine. When Smartphones came, they made their App. Today, on the same app, people order them and they directly reach their buyers. Ramesh Bhai has also received several awards. Today, when some farmers are wasting their time in Dharna demonstrations, some farmers are setting examples.

We should understand the difference between real and fake farmers. For 70 years, every prime minister had only spoken about the farmers from the ramparts of the Red Fort. No one really brought any reforms.

According to 2011 census data, about 52 per cent of people in India are involved in agriculture. Even after the hard work of these 52 per cent farmers, the contribution of agriculture to GDP is only about 17 per cent, according Indian Economic Survey 2018.

There are 38 per cent MPs in the Parliament of our country who tell themselves farmers. That means, 1 out of every 3 MPs are farmers.

Chaudhary Charan Singh and HD Deve Gowda, who tell themselves farmers, have also been the prime Minister of the country.

There are many political parties which are particularly do politics in the name of farmers. These include  Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress party, Badal family's Akali Dal, Mulayam Singh Yadav's Samajwadi Party and Ajit Singh's Lok Dal.

 Many 'filmy farmers' just use farming for their ulterior motives. Salman Khan is the newest name among the 'filmy farmers'. In July this year, he was seen planting paddy and driving tractors at his farm house in Panvel near Mumbai. It was his publicity stunt because the shooting of films was stopped due to lockdown.

Such is the state of 'so-called' farmers in the country and the politics behind farming. They don't understand the real issue and only protest against the government to gain mileage.