By Chandru Chawla
I had the privilege of witnessing first hand the farmer’s gatherings on 16th, 24th and 26th of January at Azad Maidan. All the occasions had massive support from farmers from all over the state, who had walked several hundreds of kilometres or come with their farm vehicles. There was ample support from local organisations, particularly the Left sangathans who are associated with Kisaans and Mazdoors at the grassroots. The anguish towards the 3 Black laws was unambiguous and uniform. The laws were seen as regressive and hostile to the livelihoods and the very existence of small farmers. They also detected serious threats from large corporations. Both meetings had a disproportionate presence of women from all walks and more from minority communities. The resolve of the farmers is high and they know exactly what they want and what they don’t want. The government has no choice but to listen, once it has run out of its standard playbook of deception and chicanery.