Ranjona Banerji: Who is the anarchist now?

The 25000odd farmers walked 180km from Nashik to Mumbai only to demand that they be given their due File PicAntiNationals Urban Maoists Naxals Anarchists Not Farmers just Adivasis Not 25000 only 7000 These are some of the ways in which Maharashtras farmers tribals and agricultural workers have been labelled and targeted according to most news reports Somewhere between 25000 and 50000 arrived in Mumbai on Sunday night The Long March as it is being called started 180 km away from Indias financial capital in NashikThrough the searing heat these farmers walked asking that election and other promises made to them be fulfilled They were accused of creating problems for students and commuters as they got closer to Mumbai So rather than inconvenience anyone they walked through the night so that they could reach their destination before the city went to workMumbaikars came out in large numbers with food water footwear for these brave men and women One of the organisers of the march was quoted as saying that people had been so generous that the truck of provisions which they had brought with them was still full of food Several newspapers and news websites carried photographs of blistered bleeding feetSo why did the people of Mumbai care so much and give of their own to these antinational Naxals Were all these generous citizens of Mumbai Urban Maoists Or were they just humans who have not lost their empathy for the suffering of others Who understand that Indias farmers are going through some of their worst times And perhaps they understand that agriculture is still the backbone of much of India Perhaps these are people closer to the ground than all our pundits and TV expertsAnd what does one make of an India where people are so blinded by political hatred that they look at a bleeding foot of a peaceful protester and see an anarchist The biggest crime that these marchers committed was that they marched under red flags that the organisers of the march belonged to Leftist parties To be Leftists and to undertake a peaceful march is not against the law in India mdash yetIn fact every other political party should be kicking themselves for not organising it themselves Most political parties did support the farmers and did help along the march Except the one party which tagged these marchers as antinational of courseFarmers across India have been burdened by the weight of loans by enforced buying of seeds by lopsided subsidies by poor irrigation facilities by pricing policies and by political machinations with land classifications The last two bad monsoons have added to their misery We all buy their produce even as we know the farmer gets almost nothing and the middlemen skim off the bulk What does a farmers family go through when he kills himself for a debt burden of R1 lakh when Nirav Modi coolly flies off with loans worth Rs 12000 crore What does a farmer feel when every small benefit he gets from the government is a votegetting sop while every corporate tax cut is for developmentThis march will not solve or end all these problems Although the Maharashtra government has promised yes yes to the demands made by these Maoists and anarchists words from BJP ministers and supporters dont hold your breath that everything promised will be received Several policies for help with rural distress do not cover landless labourers and those who farm on rented land The bureaucracy is now in charge of making these promises come true so a slow pace is most likely guaranteedFor us the citizen however this march should be an eyeopener It is not the only protest by farmers in recent times nor is it the first But since this has touched a chord the onus lies with us not to shift focus or get distracted by a constantlychanging news cycle These are our people they feed us and they have been cheated again and again by governments and government agencies Promises are made again and again and almost none are keptAnd for every person you know who talks about sops for farmers remember all those tax holidays which large corporations get and the enormous debt which private companies have with public sector banks Our money by the wayAnd please take a sharp look at those who think that farmers who ask for what is promised are anarchists Hope you dont have to look in the mirror for thatRanjona Banerji is a senior journalist You can follow her on Twitter ranjona Send your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates