Gandhi is back. Repeal of agricultural laws shows that even the most hostile enemy can be changed

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IIndian politics is a new and historical debt of gratitude to the farmers of North India, not only Indian democracy. For a year, his deep resolve eventually put a desperately needed restraint on the idea that politics is merely the pursuit of power. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi apologized citizens of the country As he promised to repeal three agrarian laws which had been declared legal by the highest office of power in the land, he referred to a term rarely used these days in politics – penance, The word means penance of action, austerity and penance. The Prime Minister acknowledged that it was lacking penance Which gave rise to the ill-conceived laws he was now withdrawing.

Ever since Modi withdrew the laws, waves of media erupted in applause for the protesting farmers. In this furious uproar, critics of the government have offered mainly four explanations for Modi’s sudden backtrack on agricultural reforms so far. First, the revival of India’s troubled federalism. Regardless of the power of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in states, whether small or large, they have undoubtedly felt the heat of the unquenchable desire for central control. The conflict dictates that the chain of command can no longer run just one way. Second, the special status of Punjab, the crucible of protest. Third, the reforms were good but were badly communicated. Fourth, and above all, every comment of the government’s followers and critics mentions the impending election in Uttar Pradesh. All these aspects, although praiseworthy and also compelling, rehearse the idea of ​​politics as a competitive game of power with electoral victories as its trophies.

Is that all there is to it?

Read also: The agrarian laws that the Modi government backtracked tell us to rule India with a big majority

The Power of Opposing: Then, Now and Then

During a severe pandemic and the entire four seasons, the farmers acted courageously and carried forward their resolve with each passing day. Occupying the major entry points of Delhi along the Singhu border, their center has been no ordinary picket Or sit. Unlike the earlier occupation of central Delhi a decade ago by the India Against Corruption movement under Anna Hazare, Arvind Kejriwal and others, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi’s face was ubiquitous, while the spirit of satyagraha was effectively mere artificiality, image manipulation and cynicism. It was reduced in form, if excessive, gestures—from caps to staged fasts and what not. Today, those photos from 2011-12 appear as cosplay for adults and seniors, or as (fake) historical re-enactments for audiences.

Conversely, in a consequent political moment and protest, Gandhi’s name is rarely invoked, pronounced or invoked by peasants, even though he was actually opposed to Gandhi. Overall the peaceful profession speaks for itself. instead of displaying any blatant desperation or even looking for any begging (after current fashion so to speak), a newspaper and radio station punctuated the camp life of the protesters, who moved their daily life rituals of cooking, feeding and education from villages to urban containers, tents and trucks. Had done it. It displayed a firmness of collective resolve, but also a celebration of life and pride in their common rituals.

As noted finally and widely, despite much provocation and even labeling it as ‘anti-national’ or worse, the peasant protest remained exemplary in its restraint and moral focus . It suffered the deaths of several hundred peasants and harsh displays of state power, especially at Lakhimpur Kheri, and filled it with the power of sacrifice. What could be more Gandhian or indeed the highest moral that to die but not to kill?

Read also: Urbanization will suffer due to the audacity of Modi government’s agricultural laws

Gandhi is back

Like all things Gandhian, political opponents may focus on electoral counting, arithmetic and counting, while the endless pursuit of electoral power may reduce people into ‘groups’ and castes, but the opposing peasants not prepared to enter into that dialogue. , Politics can be a series of transactions, of giving and taking of instruments, of pushes to reach some magical altar of government power. Modi’s account of stepping back may be to lose now and gain a lot later.

But as Gandhi showed, in many small and large-scale acts of satyagraha or civil disobedience in South Africa starting close to home, changing the equation through moral acts and principles is not only more powerful, but more powerful than any number of The transfer is also fundamentally transformative.

It may be irresistible to some to enjoy the way the mighty Prime Minister Modi has been ‘humiliated’. But it would certainly be Gandhi’s opposition. For the ‘Mahatma’, the real test of opposition and his power was in his ability to transform and reform the most bitter of opponents and the enemy of his enemies. She had the power of restraint, despite aggression and even harsh indifference.

History indeed repeats itself. However, it is not condemned to repeat itself as a spectacle. Exactly a century earlier and in 1921, Gandhi inspired and led the peasants of North India for a historic alliance that certainly turned the tide against the British Empire that had been in power after its victory in World War I.

Certainly, Modi is shrewd and has realized that Gandhi’s spirit has endured and may reign today even in an unexpected quarter. Modi’s call penance , One of Gandhi’s favorite words – as much sign. Whether the farmers’ protest has improved their opponents is an open question.

For now, there is massive recourse for succeeding in reminding the peasants and showing that the work of politics is not the pursuit of power and political position. Peasants have demonstrated the power of protest to change the condition of the weak, thus embodying the true call of politics.

Author’s new book ‘Violent Fraternity; Indian Political Thought in the Global Age is now out of Penguin India. She is an Associate Professor of Indian History and Global Political Thought at the University of Cambridge. She tweets @shrutikapila. Thoughts are personal.

(Edited by Prashant)

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