Will farmer protests affect BJP’s poll prospects?

Farmers have warned the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that they will actively campaign against it in key state elections next year if their demands for a repeal of contentious agriculture laws are not met. On Monday, farmer unions have called for a Bharat bandh or nationwide strike to protest against the new laws, passed by the Centre a year ago. Prominent farmer leader Rakesh Tikait of the Bharatiya Kisan Union said on Sunday that  unions will campaign against the BJP in poll-bound states if the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre does not cancel the new laws. “Government of India should repeal the three farm laws at the earliest. If not, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha will go to every part of the country, hold meetings and protests against the Central government and campaign in poll-bound states,” Tikait said at a Kisan Mahapanchayat or mass gathering in Haryana.

BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttrakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Goa and Manipur will go to the polls in March and December 2022. Elections will also be held in Punjab, where the ruling Congress recently appointed Charanjit Singh Channi as chief minister amid intense infighting in the party. 

The Samyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of over 40 farm unions, has been spearheading the farmers’ agitation for nearly a year now.  Its call for the 10-hour bandh across the country on Monday has received support from many political parties including Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). On Sunday, the Congress even asked all its workers, state unit chiefs and heads of frontal organizations to take part in the ‘Bharat Bandh’ called by farmer unions on September 27.

Kerala’s ruling LDF on Thursday called for a state-wide hartal on September 27 to express solidarity with the farmers protesting against the Centre’s anti-farm laws.

The Bharatiya Kisan Union has welcomed Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi’s support to the farmers’ stir but maintained that their stage will not be shared with any political party.

On September 5, thousands of farmers assembled in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, pledging to continue protests against the farms laws as farmer leaders vowed to campaign against the BJP in the coming state elections.   

Last week, Haryana BKU (Chaduni) chief Gurnam Singh Chaduni said the protesting farmers will not move from Delhi’s borders until the farm laws are repealed.

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The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act 2020 were passed by the Parliament last September.

Farmer groups have alleged that these laws will benefit big corporates.