Why Modi won’t listen to India’s farmers – By Rana Ayyub
On Tuesday, as India celebrated its 72nd Republic Day…. Clashes broke out in New Delhi between the police and farmers who have been protesting for almost two months against three new agricultural laws that they consider a threat to their livelihoods and very existence….
The alarming scenes clashed with the images broadcast by news channels of the annual Republic Day celebrations hosted by Modi along with his cabinet of ministers – showing how this authoritarian administration was unprepared to meet this challenge….
In the past three years, Modi has pushed dangerous and discriminatory policies like the Citizenship Act, which seeks to delegitimize Indian minorities, including its 200 million Muslims…. The farmers knew they could face a similar fate.… The arrogance of power does not bode well for democracy. India needs a return to the fundamentals of governing, but Modi is in no mood to listen.
