Is it right for agitated-farmers to spill milk, throw vegetables?
What's the story
The food and dairy supplies are likely to take a hit as farmers across 7 states started a 10-day protest, demanding minimum support price (MSP), loan-waivers, and permanent monthly income, from the government. The farmers from Haryana, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala, took part in the protest under the banner of Rashtriya Kisan Mahasangh (RKM). Here are the details.
The protest
Farmers to stop supply of essentials to protest
Abhimanyu Kohar, RKM's national general secretary, said the agitation would be peaceful. As a part of protests, farmers will stage dharnas at national highways and stop supplies of vegetables and dairy products. "If anyone wants to purchase vegetables and dairy products, they will have to drive to the villages to buy them," Kohar added. RKM is a federation of 130 farmers' organizations.
What happened
In anger, farmers threw milk and vegetables on streets
In Maharashtra's Sangamner, a milk tanker was emptied on road. Likewise in Ludhiana's Samrala region, protesting farmers spilled milk on roads. In Punjab's Faridkot, farmers threw fruits and vegetables on streets. Many eatables met the same fate in Barnala, as farmers protested against diesel prices. While everyone support farmers' cause, this action of throwing eatables on streets is certainly condemnable.
Do you know?
Poverty struck India sleeps empty stomach, farmers waste food
India has the largest population of people under poverty line, according to a 2016 World Bank report. Nearly, 224 million Indians are poverty-ridden. Considering the statistics, the farmers are not helping the needy by taking decisions in a fit of anger and destroying eatables.
The outrage
Farmers' demand is understandable, but why destroy eatables?
The spike in farmer suicide rates in India (over 12,000 farmers took their lives every year since 2013), shows the turbulent times we are living in. While the farmer's cause has always united the nation and got them support, their action of throwing milk and vegetables on streets cannot be supported. The eatables they destroyed could have fed many families across India.
A year on
Notably, protest clashes with Mandsaur killing anniversary
Last year, in Madhya Pradesh's Mandsaur, an alleged police firing had killed five farmers, who were demanding more prices for onion and garlic. While the worries and woes of farmers remain the same, this time they don't want violence to take over their demand for implementation of Swaminathan Commission report. All they intend is to stop supplies of essential commodities from villages to cities.