Dialogue of the deaf: Anatomy of an agitation

Let’s call it the great disconnect. Or, the Indian political rendition of the Biblical Tower of Babel. Parts of Uttar Pradesh are on the boil. The issue is familiar. It’s compensation, or the lack of it rather. Farmers are demanding higher compensation for the land they sacrificed for the Yamuna Express Highway. The Mayawati government is unwilling to oblige. As the spiral of violence threatens to go beyond control, others have pitched in. There are too many voices and selfish interests around. And most of these make little sense. The worry is that the voices belong to serious stakeholders in our democracy. [caption id=“attachment_6893” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Violence in Uttar Pradesh spreads across the state and takes a political turn over acquiring of land by the government. PTI”]  [/caption] Here’s how the roles of players in the UP imbroglio unfold. The farmers: Not happy with the compensation they agreed to earlier, they seek a revision. They also want the government to return 50 percent of the land it has allegedly acquired without any payment. According to media reports, some farmers want the government to pay 80 percent of the cost at which it sold land to private developers. Unable to have their way, they resort to violence. It is the best way to drive home the message in a democracy. Now, the agitation has spread wider . Some precious lives have also been lost. The UP government: In no mood to oblige. It claims to have enhanced the compensation from Rs 446 per square metre to Rs 580, besides providing a job to a member of each family which has lost all its land. The farmers have gone back on what they agreed, it claims and maintains it is a law and order problem created by farmers’ leader Manveer Singh Tevtia and political rivals. It intends to intensify police action and has sought some units of the Rapid Action Force from the Centre. Political parties: They smell a chance to corner the government and discover sympathy for the farmers rather abruptly. The Congress, the BJP and the Samajwadi Party accuse Mayawati of being anti-farmer and demand her ouster. Senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh has already courted arrest. The movement has taken a political turn. Leaders are getting their television moment even as farmers get caned. The Centre: Mayawati’s BSP is not exactly a friend or a foe. But the party has to be indulged since her MPs are crucial in times of crisis. The Congress plays a double game: asks its state unit to raise the ante while being placatory towards Mayawati. It’s in the wait-and-watch mode. The press: Farmers and compensations are not sexy subjects, especially with the Osama episode still hot and around. But you cannot miss all the action on the village roads. Television Rating Points help as does the pretension of a social sympathy. So, you have all the nice pictures of farmers being assaulted by policemen and wailing women. But what is missing in action is in-depth analyses of the real issue. Farmers are not like political diplomacy; you cannot take a hard and safe position here. Put the roles of all the elements in a composite whole and you have the rough template of popular agitations in the country. The pattern of reactions is difficult to miss: farmers have to go violent to make a point; the government must retaliate to stand by its decision; the Opposition must take advantage of the situation; and the media must stop moving beyond lip service. The channels communication within the democracy have broken down and look beyond repair. This could explain the Maoist violence in many pockets and the frequent flares-up over issues like reservation. It was evident during the JPC stand-off between the UPA and the NDA at the Centre. When the court intervenes on all issues between the government and people, you realise a nation is reaching the dead end. The dialogue of the deaf is not good for a democracy.