In response to the three farm acts passed by the Indian Parliament in September, farmers have taken to the roads to protest the controversial laws. Why are three laws causing such a riot? It’s due to the fact that the laws favor state agencies and corporations rather than the farmers. These laws seek to allow private traders to buy directly from farmers while simultaneously taking down government marketing. In India, every state government can set up an Agricultural Produce Market Committee which in turn sets up the markets in the state for farmers to earn fair prices for their produce. AMPC markets make sure that farmers get the Minimum Support Price or MSP for their crops, therefore prices are not likely to fluctuate.  Getting rid of the APMC will leave the farmers in duress as they will earn less and they are the driving forces that feed India. Without them, not only will the economy suffer but so will the millions that depend on the farmers for sustenance. 

Prime Minister Modi suggests that these laws will benefit the farmers, but empirically, the opposite is true as the state of Bihar underwent the same changes and continues to suffer. Bihari farmers are being forced to sell their crops for unsustainable prices because state protections have collapsed. The biggest fear is that if the laws go into full effect, large corporations will hinder the farmers' rights to fairly bargain and negotiate prices. 

Protestors have come from Punjab, Haryana, and more since these states produce a great deal of crops for the country and the majority of them will be directly affected by the laws. Farmer’s unions have organized parades and rallies in the following months with truck and tractor drivers flooding the roads and streets in response to the government’s unacceptable behavior. The majority of these protests have been peaceful, at least on the farmers' end, but hundreds have been injured in violent clashes with the police. 

Speaking of maintaining peace, that is one thing that the right wing in India, or more affectionately known as Hindu nationalists, know nothing about. India was built on ideals that welcome diversity. Those ideals have not been upheld these past years. In the years after independence, the idea of having a representative democracy was a ridiculous idea to Hindu nationalists who wanted a singular Hindu nation or Hindustan at its most literal form. The recent government under Modi has only bolstered this ideology with laws that discriminate against certain groups (almost always Muslims). Granted, India is 90% Hindu but the discrimination against minority groups is atrocious. There are also great pressures to align with this ideology too. The media continues to cherry pick information,  creating an impenetrable echo chamber where there is one and only one opinion. 

The Hindu nationalists have decided to move in on the farmer’s protest. Any slander against the Prime Minister was retaliated with some controversial statements. Some went as far to call for gencoide against the protestors. These farmers have been labeled “anti-national,” which has made most people angry. 

Indian celebrities have also grossly misused their platform. Obviously, the wealthy are the least affected in this situation, but they sure do have a bone to pick with anyone who differs with the government. Actor Akshay Kumar, Cricket legend Suchin Tendulkar, and fellow Cricketer Virat Kohli have all made statements about fighting against the propaganda made by others that tear down the government. The most shocking statement of all goes to Actress Kangana Ranaut who utilized the word “terrorist” when talking about the protestors. Yet, the lady continues to have movies made, movies released, and cafes opened with little to no retribution.

However, the tweet that was most shocking came from Rihanna, who asked, “why aren’t we talking about this,” referring to the farmers' protests. You would think she committed an actual crime with the amount of backlash she got from that one simple tweet. Many saw the tweet as Rihanna invading Indian politics and promoting “propaganda.” People started hurling serious threats, verbal abuse, and insults at her. On the other hand, others hailed her for bringing attention to the issue that’s been greatly overlooked by western media. 

It’s also important to note that India may claim to be one the world’s biggest democracies, but its policies violate citizen’s rights from time to time. In response to the farmer’s protests, the government has shut down the internet, censored the press, jailed journalists, and enforced violence against peaceful protestors. The freedom of speech is being silenced, stifled, and muffled. One incident that was down-right depressing was the arrest of 21-year old climate activist, Disha Ravi. Her crime? Sharing a google doc that featured a “toolkit” or a campaign information document. While the Indian Court has since granted Ravi bail, it is just another horrifying instance of the government going too far and infringing on human rights. While the police claimed that the google doc Ravi shared spread violence due to the contact information on it, the truth remains that the law enforcement has overstepped and continues to do so in unfathomable manners.

Watching history repeat itself is extremely terrifying, but hopefully the government will reap what they sow.