“All the members of this Committee are pro-government and had been justifying the laws of the government.”
“We never demanded from Supreme Court to form committee, government is behind all these.”
In fact, the pushback seemed intense enough for one of the four named to the committee – Bhupinder Singh Mann – to recuse himself. “I will always stand with my farmers and Punjab,” he said. Mann had also been expelled from his own farm union, the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Mann), which renamed itself the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Punjab).
Other members of the committee claim they will carry out their task and begin speaking to the protesting farmers from January 19, though none of the farm unions have so far agreed to meet them.
The Political Fix: Why is BJP treating the Supreme Court like a tie-breaker for the farmers protest?
A newsletter on Indian politics and policy from Scroll.in. Jan 11, 2021 · 09:42 am
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The Big Story: Policy by proxy
As 2021 gets under way, after 45 days in the cold and despite eight rounds of talks with the government, tens of thousands of farmers continue their demonstration on the borders of Delhi. The farmers are protesting three agricultural laws passed in controversial manner by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government that seek to deregulate portions of the farming sector.
The Big Story: Full circle
Earlier this month, results came in for Jammu and Kashmir’s District Development Council elections – the first direct polls held in the Union territory since it had been downgraded from a state the year earlier.
To understand these results, we need a bit of background.
On August 5, 2019, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government in Delhi decided to take full control of the political situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
Without engaging with the public or even their representatives in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, the Centre decided to downgrade the state to a Union territory, split it by carving out Ladakh and strip away the Constitutional guarantees of autonomy – i.e. Article 370, that had allowed for the erstwhile princely state to become a part of India.
The Political Fix: In Yediyurappa vs Delhi struggle, a glimpse of BJP’s ‘High Command’ culture
A newsletter on Indian politics and policy from Scroll.in. Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa
Welcome to The Political Fix by Rohan Venkataramakrishnan, a newsletter on Indian politics and policy. To get it in your inbox every week, sign up here.
We don’t charge for this newsletter, but if you would like to support us consider contributing to the Scroll Reporting Fund or, if you’re not in India, subscribing to Scroll+.
The Big Story: Command and control
Last week, the national spotlight turned towards West Bengal and the sight of Union Home Minister Amit Shah welcoming a host of Trinamool Congress leaders into his party, a political tactic that was once derided but is now usually taken as a sign of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s success in regions where it has no significant leadership. But in Karnakata, a very different story was playing out.
Many of the farmer groups are prepared for the long haul, bringing along food stocks to last several months, receiving relief and support from home and locals – and even setting up a makeshift gym. The government, after saying it was willing to make some significant alterations to the laws, has insisted it is open to talks. The farmer groups, however, are demanding a full repeal of the legislations. Play
So, nearly two weeks in, how should we look at the farmer protests?
The story has dominated headlines over the last few weeks, so there are numerous angles to consider – including remarkably petty ones pushed by pro-government observers about whether eating pizza at a protest is somehow proof of its hollowness.