Before the Rajasthan government could recover from the earlier farmers’ protest against increased electricity rates, the declaration of statewide encampments from 1 September by the All India Kisan Sabha spread over a dozen districts gave the government an inkling of the potential strength of this agitation. The encampments started from 1 September at various District Collectors’ offices. On 4 September there was a huge farmers’ presence at the encampments, notably the presence of 5,000 women at the Sikar District office. The huge mobilization of farmers on 11 September at District HQs in Sikar, Jhunjhunu, Churu, Nagore, Bikaner, Jaipur, Ganganagar, Hanumangarh and other districts left the government shaken.
1.5 lakh farmers participated in the protest at Sikar. The government called the Kisan Sabha leaders for talks but the farmers said they would hold talks nowhere but in Sikar itself, otherwise they would organize an indefinite chakka jam. Chakka jams were then organized on 11 and 12 September. The protest in Jhunjhunu were influenced by the earlier Jail Bharo movement on 9 August organized by the All India Kisan Mahasabha and 5 other organizations with the demand for implementation of the Swaminathan recommendations, loan waivers, purchase price 1 ½ times crop outlay, and end to land acquisition. Around 7,000 farmers joined the protest at Jhunjhunu on 11 September. Addressing the protests, Com. Ruldu Singh, National President of All India Kisan Mahasabha (AIKM) highlighted the increasing agricultural crisis in the country, the rising number of suicides among the farmers and the nationwide protests and movemtns building against these. Chakka jam was held on 11 and 12 September. Talks were held with 4 government Ministers on 12 and 13 September after which the government agreed to loan waivers of Rs 50,000 and a high power committee to submit a report within a month, as well as assurances on the other demands.
A few farmers’ organizations associated with the BJP are contending that though the movement was a historic one, the farmers’ leaders lost the battle at the negotiation table. Their charge is that the only written assurance given by the government was to form a high power committee to look into loan waivers. But their charge is false. The clear agreement in the talks was that loans up to Rs 50,000 will be waived; loans will be waived on not only maturity period but also ongoing accounts; and KCC and co-operative loans will also be waived.
The farmers’ leaders have warned that if the high power committee does not implement the agreements reached in the talks, the farmers would launch an even bigger agitation. The remarkable feature of this struggle was that all sections of society gave unsolicited support to the movement. CPI (ML) leaders comrades Phulchand Dhewa, Durgaram Tilotiya, Indra Raj Singh Charavas, Om Prakash Jharoda, Ruldu Singh, Gurnam Singh, and Balkaran Bali were among those who addressed the protests at various places.
