Fleas and egrets on a cow’s back

Farmers, Separatists, Activists

It is not unexpected when Khalistani outfits, Pakistani ISI-sponsored elements, along with local miscreants, infiltrate a movement like the farmers’ protest in Delhi, which comprises a large number of Sikh farmers from Punjab. It is also naive to be surprised if opposition parties, genuine firebrand activists and NGOs as well as professional protesters, whom PM Modi colourfully but derisively described as ‘andolanjeevis’, try to hitch a ride on the farmers’ bandwagon. Can the BJP forget that it was a big cheer leader of the India Against Corruption movement led by Anna Hazare against UPA 2? Hazare’s organisation was similarly discredited by the then government and accused of receiving support from foreign groups inimical to the national interest -- that is, against the interest of the ruling party. Then as now, many such as Baba Ramdev made common cause with Hazare, and the ruling party hounded them.

Over time, a large, amorphous protest, a commingling of scores of farmer unions from far flung regions comprising different religions, ethnicities, united and driven by a common weal and zeal, becomes vulnerable and susceptible. They are in danger of getting derailed and morphing unwittingly into a confusing, promiscuous heap. The movement can get diluted and altogether hijacked. The leaders then have to reassess their tactics, strategise anew and identify and shun those who have blended in and dented their image. They should realign their forces to achieve their overarching objectives. Mahatma Gandhi was an astute leader who repeatedly called off his Satyagraha when he sensed that it was likely to turn violent, with hardliners and hawks disagreeing with his approach, and as a result the goal of independence would recede. The farmers’ leaders must take lessons from Gandhi and not lose their heart or their bearings, nor their resolve, and plan well and communicate clearly their future course of action, lead the protests with purposive action and swear by non-violence. Most critically, be united and convey to the government unambiguously their demands. Gandhi, while unwavering in his demand, progressed toward it by making incremental gains, with give and take compromises over many years of relentless struggle. Maybe the farmers should take a leaf out of Gandhi’s playbook.

But to return to our subject, there may be Khalistani elements who are supporting the farmers’ protest. But does it make the farmers’ movement a Khalistan conspiracy? Have the Sikh farmers given a call to arms to secede from India or have they simply demanded the repeal of farm laws, joining with other farm unions on the issue? As one columnist observed, “If a flea attaches itself to a cow’s behind, should those who sniff conspiracy milk the flea? Should the cow be killed to get rid of the flea?” A professional intelligence agency would investigate discreetly and identify the infiltrators, trace the money trail, gather incontrovertible evidence and isolate and expose them so that the farmers are forewarned and disassociate themselves. Even though the government may be on the other side of the table from the farmers, it is prudent (even politically) and behoves the government to protect the farmers’ movement from infiltrators who wish to destabilise it. It’s good sportsmanship not to cheat in a game.

Tarring the entire farmers’ movement as misguided and foreign-inspired and heaping ignominy on them to break up the protest will at best result in a Pyrrhic victory for the government. Instead, it is in the national interest to bring the farmers back to the table to find a just solution.

The arrest of Disha Ravi, a young environmental activist barely out of her teens, by the Delhi police and, more tellingly, the crude manner of her arrest on charges of sedition, for promoting a ‘toolkit’ to amplify the messages of the farmers, to be able to mobilise support for their movement, reminded me of an aphorism attributed to the Buddha: “To every man is given the key to the gates of heaven; the same key also opens the gates of hell.” The toolkit that Disha shared with 18-year-old Greta Thunberg, is like the key -- it can be used for noble things, and it can also enable evil. Like all other things -- the gunpowder or the printing press, for example -- it can make bombs or dynamite for construction, it can print good books or incendiary material or pornography.

Does the suspicion and charge that Disha had exchanged messages with the Poetic Justice Foundation, an organisation said to be sympathetic to the Khalistan movement, and had participated in an international conference call along with 20 others in support of the farmers’ protest, make her a terrorist plotting to overthrow the elected government through incitement to arms and violence? Would someone organising a violent coup openly post messages and videos and share it with a young foreign celebrity who has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize? Even if there was ground to suspect Disha of being a Khalistani supporter, could she not have been put under discreet surveillance? Is that not what a professional police and intelligence agency would have done, as such agencies do the world over, to unearth potential deeper conspiracies and networks? Have we -- a mighty and mature democracy -- not exposed ourselves to global ridicule with our paranoia and insecurities, tilting at the windmills in the US, Canada and Sweden?

And finally, was it sensible for Delhi Police to attack international celebrities like Rihanna, Greta Thunberg and others who have wide following globally among the youth and bring upon itself international focus on the heavy and ham-handed way we are dealing with our protesting farmers and activists? While goons and criminals and violent Khalistani secessionists may be fleas on the cow’s back, the Rihannas, Greta Thunbergs, Rupi Kaurs and Disha Ravis of the world, who are young and idealistic, may be misguided at times or mistaken about the Indian State, but they are akin to the egrets who relieve the cattle of fleas and ticks. They may, at times, gore the flesh of cattle, but they are the do-gooders of the ecosystem. Democracies the world over need them. When they voice their opinion or criticise, for the government discretion, discernment and indifference, and perhaps reflection, may be the better part of valour.

(The writer is a farmer, soldier and entrepreneur)