The Indian Farmers’ Movement Has Shattered Narendra Modi’s Strongman Image
After a yearlong battle, Indian farmers have forced Narendra Modi to repeal his neoliberal farm laws. The movement that took on Modi and won is a powerful blow against India’s ruling Hindu nationalists.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to repeal his government’s controversial farm laws following a year of protest. (Ian Forsyth / Getty Images)
On November 19, 2021, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi finally declared his willingness to repeal the three farm bills that had provoked a yearlong protest action by more than one hundred thousand farmers and agricultural laborers.
The farmers’ struggle against pauperization and the corporatization of agriculture cost more than seven hundred lives as it faced massive state repression, including arrests, physical violence, and frequent internet shutdowns. After eleven rounds of unsuccessful negotiations with the government, the movement forced Modi to retreat.
Unity Against Modi
In the seven years since Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) returned to power, they have usually responded to democratic dissent with brutal repression and violence by Hindutva (Hindu nationalist) vigilantes rather than pull back from their legislative plans. The protests against the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and the anti-Muslim Citizenship Amendment Act of 2019 bore witness to this trend.
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