Editor’s note: On 5 September 2021, lakhs of farmers descended on Muzaffarnagar in West Uttar Pradesh (UP) for a mega rally (or ‘Mahapanchayat’) organised by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), a coalition of various ‘kisan morchas’ (farmer unions). The principal demand of the rally was same as that of the larger farmers’ movement that it was organised under – repeal the three farm laws passed in the Indian Parliament last year September. At the same time, the rally also addressed a whole set of other pressing social and political issues. The highlight of the super-event was a speech by Rakesh Tikait, the powerful leader of the Bharat Kisan Union (BKU), who has led the farmers’ movement from the front since it began last year.
The following piece draws from the first-hand observations of the author, who has followed the movement from the ground since Day 1, especially in the West UP belt.
Don’t let anyone let you believe anything else. What happened at Muzaffarnagar (western Uttar Pradesh) on 5 September was, in the truest sense, historic. I don’t think a bigger turnout of farmers has been seen in the entire world. The ground where the rally took place had less than even 1/10th of the total farmers that attended on 5 September. All of Muzaffarnagar city was flooded with farmers yesterday. It was incredible. The numbers were so huge that many coulnd’t even make it to the venue.
Listen to Rakesh Tikait’s speech very carefully.
His speech was a lot more than just the three farm laws. He starts with how everything is being privatised, then spoke about the state of the average cop, issues concerning workers, how pensions are being withdrawn, and how ‘Baba Saheb Ambedkar’s constitution is being destroyed’. Finally, Tikait finished it with the old BKU slogan, “Allahu Akbar-Har Har Mahadev!”. Clearly, he made overtures to people beyond just farmers; clear attempts at reaching out to a constituency beyond just farmers.
Almost every Hindu Jat you speak with in West Uttar Pradesh today says it no uncertain terms – 2013 was a big mistake. A clear admission of guilt. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is slightly clueless of how to handle the situation. They tried observing a big memorial meeting for Sachin and Gaurav on 29 August in Muzaffarnagar (both were two Jat boys, using whose murders in 2013 the BJP whipped up communal frenzy in the region). The memorial was a flop, only attended by BJP functionaries.
Many Muslims organised a lot of ‘langars’ (community kitchens) and other forms of ‘Seva’ (service) for the farmers going to Muzaffarnagar. Even mosques made arrangements for people’s accommodation, where Hindu and Sikh farmers also stayed at night. This has further cemented ties between the two communities. Many farmers in the region are talking about the hospitality extended by Muslims. They are clearly touched.
Lots of Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) posters and banners all over West UP along with SKM and BKU banners were seen. Is that a bad thing? I don’t think so. The best part about SKM is that they’ve adapted to local social and political dynamics very well. While no elected representative was allowed to address the gathering yesterday, the RLD has mobilised people in a big way. The party is gradually becoming a movement of sorts. The good thing is that it is not trying to hijack the movement, and is only supporting it from the outside.
Unlike Haryana and Punjab where massive efforts have gone in to mobilising women for the movement and women have been encouraged to speak and perform on stage as well, this element is entirely missing in West UP. The deeply patriarchal and feudal gender dynamics of West UP continue to be largely unaffected by this movement.
Small efforts have been made to reach out to Dalits and other working class OBC’s to ally in this movement, but not to the extent that Punjab and Haryana have made. ‘Kisan-Mazadoor Ekta’ is a slogan that they are still struggling to truly realise.
Also read ‘Troubled Pasts, Uncertain Futures: Making Sense of Rakesh Tikait’s Muzaffarnagar Legacy‘
Finally, is this curtains for BJP in West UP, especially in seats where Jats and Muslims are in big numbers? Not at all. But a huge dent for sure. Still some months before the elections and I don’t put anything past the BJP. Moreover, while youth among OBC castes like Sainis and Kashyaps (who’ve been known to be BJP voters) are angry because of unemployment and the likes, if the opposition is not able to consolidate that anger, it’s still advantage BJP. The aandolan (movement) did try and reach out on 5 September, especially in Tikait’s speech. Moreover, East UP is hardly touched by the aandolan.
Jat farmers are fast returning to the farmers party, RLD. The BJP continues to have some presence even now, but is fast diminishing. The kisaan aandolan (farmers’ movement) is proving to be much more than just the demand to revoke the three new kisaan (farmer) laws. It has become the biggest movement to not just save, but also deepen, the Indian democracy. It has changing dynamics in Punjab, Haryana and West UP ways that we can’t even imagine.
Views expressed are the author’s own.
This article was originally posted by the author as a Facebook post and has been republished here with permission. Some editorial changes were made for clarity.
Featured image: Farmers at the Mahapanchayat on 5 September. | All photos by Apal Singh and Vidhaat Raman.
is an Indian documentary filmmaker and director of Muzaffarnagar Baaqi Hai… (Muzaffarnagar Eventually…), a deep-dive into the build-up to the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots in Western Uttar Pradesh. He runs Chalchitra Abhiyaan, a film and media collective.
