00:00On January 18, Jagjit Singh Dhalewal, convener of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha non-political
00:06finally accepted medical aid after enduring 54 days of hunger.
00:11Shortly after, 121 other protesting farmers at Khanuri and Shambhu borders also called
00:17off their hunger strike.
00:19This comes from an agreement between the union government and farmers' unions to meet on
00:2414 February to discuss their long-standing demands.
00:28Welcome to Deep Dive with Outlook.
00:30Today, we will discuss the farmers' protests and the road ahead.
00:35Dhalewal announced the hunger strike on November 26, 2024 to make the government hear the demands
00:42of the farmers, which includes legal guarantee for minimum support price or MSP.
00:48Diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2020, Dhalewal has been undergoing chemotherapy for 4 years.
00:55Yet, he actively protested against the farm laws and has been rallying for MSP legalisation,
01:01loan waivers and other farmer-centric policies.
01:05After announcing plans for a hunger strike, he drew up his will, transferring all his
01:10land to his son, daughter-in-law and grandson.
01:14His daughter-in-law, Harpreet Kaur, who received 2 acres of land, calls him a feminist for
01:19his progressive actions in a patriarchal society.
01:23In January 2024, Dhalewal lost his wife just days before addressing a Mahapanchayat.
01:29What is done is done.
01:31It is God's will.
01:32He told farmers at the gathering, wowing his dedication to the movement.
01:37The protests traced back to the farmers' opposition to three farm laws passed in 2020.
01:43Although the laws were repealed in 2021 after widespread agitation, the farmers' struggles
01:49didn't end there.
01:51Their demands shifted towards the legalisation of MSP for all crops, a move they argue is
01:57essential for their survival.
01:59The fear among farmers, particularly in Punjab, is that without legally enforceable MSP, they
02:06will lose the security blanket provided by government procurement.
02:10According to Ashutosh Kumar from the Department of Political Science, Punjab University, since
02:15the Green Revolution, Punjab's farmers have relied heavily on government procurement of
02:21wheat and paddy at MSP rates.
02:23This procurement feeds into the central pool supporting the public distribution system
02:28that provides subsidised grains to millions of below-poverty-line families.
02:34If MSP is withdrawn, the implication could be catastrophic.
02:38Farmers would be left at the mercy of moneylenders or corporate entities, aggravating existing
02:43inequalities.
02:45The unions have also demanded the government withdraw from the World Trade Organization's
02:50agricultural agreements, which aim to reduce subsidies and promote open-market trade.
02:56Critics believe that, for the farmers, these reforms signal a slippery slope towards corporate
03:02domination, leaving them vulnerable to moneylenders and private entities.
03:07The plight of the farmers is not new.
03:10Punjab, despite its reputation as an agrarian state, has seen a rise in farmer suicides.
03:16A study by Punjab Agricultural University recorded 9,291 farmer suicides across six
03:22districts between 2000 and 2018, with 88% linked to farm deaths.
03:29Families like Resham Singh's and Gurneet Singh's are left grappling with the aftermath.
03:35When I return for Lohri, we will all celebrate together.
03:38Resham Singh had promised his mother before leaving for the Shambhu border protest.
03:43But that celebration never happened.
03:54On 9th January, unable to bear the distress his fellow farmers were experiencing, Resham
04:00consumed sulfas, a cheap pesticide, ending his life.
04:04This story is not an isolated one.
04:07Since the protests began, three farmers have died by suicide at the Kanori and Shambhu
04:12borders.
04:13These sacrifices underscore the toll the crisis has taken on farmers, whose lives and livelihoods
04:20are being chipped away.
04:21Gurneet Singh, a landless farmer who worked as an electrician at the Kanori border, took
04:27his life after mounting debts and unpaid electricity bills piled up.
04:32His wife, Paramjeet Kaur, stated that he prioritised the protest over their family, working for
04:39free because of his devotion to the cause.
04:42The government's promise to meet the farmers in February is a small step forward, but scepticism
04:49abounds.
04:50Farmers fear that pro-corporate reforms could be reintroduced stealthily, threatening their
04:56livelihoods.
04:57As we wait for February's discussions, the question remains – will the government finally
05:02address the root causes of this agrarian crisis, or will this cycle of protests and despair
05:08continue?
05:09You can read more on this in our issue, Don't Let This Farmer Die.
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