Oh no, not again.
Unfortunately, yes. The farmers’ protest, now heading to Delhi, is almost identical to the rallies two years ago.
But there’s a difference: Watching the ‘high voltage drama’ (Times Now) on the outskirts of Delhi, you have less sympathy for them now than you did in 2022.
As you watch the rolling coverage on television news channels of the farmers’ yatra, you ask yourself—no matter how just they believe their demands to be, is the ‘Farmers stir 2.0’ (India Today) the way to go about it? Or is it more of a public nuisance?
When you see the headline, ‘Farmer Union to block Punjab rail track’ (India Today), do you feel sorry for the farmers or for the commuters whose trains will be held up, or delayed by the blockade?
TV news spent most of Tuesday and large portions of Wednesday showing us the tractors, trucks, and bulldozers rumble down kilometres of roads in response to the ‘Dilli Chalo’ call given by the farmers’ unions. This was juxtaposed by visuals of traffic jams stretching for miles. Reporters on several news channels said commuters would be delayed for hours.
On NDTV 24×7, we saw commuters walk for several kilometres to bypass the security arrangements on the roads and highways. Some complained that offices were closed, and their livelihood badly affected (Zee News)— “I would say to the farmers – think of us,” said one person.
Wednesday morning’s newspapers were filled with tales of woe: ‘Tear Gas In Patiala, Tears In Delhi’, read The Times of India lead headline, “…traffic crawls at Delhi borders…”It said the jam on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway was eight kilometres long. ‘Already, day-to-day life is affected,’ said Republic TV.
And so the farmers’ long march to Delhi becomes personal. When that happens, public sympathy for their cause, right or wrong, wanes distinctly.
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‘Chaos’ on the border
This may be an unfair way of looking at the protest but that’s the way the media portrayed it—when you watched the serpentine queues of the farmers’ caravan or the commuters’ vehicles you could only agree with CNN News 18: ‘Chaos’.
The media coverage was compounded by police security and the farmers’ actions. Most news channels dwelt upon the many tiers of security at borders which included concrete barriers, barbed wire fencing, and nails hammered into the roads to puncture any vehicle that managed to get that far—scary.
It was the same scene at the Shambhu border, Singur and Ambala. “The police will not allow them (the farmers) to enter Delhi,” said News 24. The channel claimed that the police had learned its lessons from the previous farmers’ strike and were well prepared. “Delhi turns into a fortress,” said NDTV 24×7. “Looks like a cantonment,” added a Times Now anchor.
It wasn’t a pretty sight. And from a public perspective, it was one more headache with roads sealed and diversions piled up with vehicles: It was going to be a long ride home or to work.
Also Read: India can be a major drone hub—if it learns to take risks, accept losses
Drone wars
The failure of talks on the farmers’ 12 demands, between the government and the farmers’ unions, led to a direct confrontation on the roads—‘Police v/s farmers’ frequently flashed across the TV screen (Zee News, NDTV).
It was bound to turn ugly. “We are ready,” said a police officer to DD News. “We’re not going anywhere,” said a farmer to ABP News. By noon on Tuesday, bombs were heard by reporters. “That’s tear gas,” explained Republic TV.
By the way, what’s wrong with news channels? Each one of them, including Republic TV, claimed to be the ‘only one at the Shambhu border’ when their OB vans (outdoor broadcast vans) were parked side by side—as we saw on Zee News?
A smokescreen swallowed up the farmers so that all we could discern was a collection of arms, legs – and turbans. “This situation is worrying,” declared the Aaj Tak reporter.
In the fog of “war” (India TV), people ran here and there, barriers were broken and thrown aside, and protestors were thrust inside police vans.
And then came the drones. “In very dramatic scenes” in open green, fields, we saw them drop tear gas bombs on the protestors gathered below (NDTV 24×7). Shrieks and screams were captured by the TV microphones, and reporters were coughing or choking on the gas.
Stone pelting began (Republic Bharat), and people were injured—‘legs broken’ (ABP News)—or so the farmers claimed. Some people began throwing stones at the drones (NDTV 24×7)—really?
The situation had turned violent and CNN News 18 squarely blamed the farmers for the turn of events: ‘Protestors violate Section 144,’ it said. It added that the stand-off had been ‘contrived’ just before the Lok Sabha elections. ‘The stir has become unruly,’ it said.
India TV saw deeper darker conspiracies after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi walked right into the middle of the controversy. He said that Congress would implement the Swaminathan Commission recommendations and MSP guarantees as demanded by the protesting farmers. The channel said that since neither Gandhi nor the Congress were coming into power after the 2024 general elections, they were simply piggybacking on the farmers to win votes.
Channels tried to explain why MSP guarantees could not be implemented, and government ministers pleaded for talks, but up until Wednesday afternoon, there was no respite on the fields or the roads. ‘How long would this continue’, is the only thought most of us have as we watch the farmers settling in with their bori-bistar.
A final thought: instead of the farmers’ strike, don’t you think news channels ought to have focused on the high political drama in Pakistan, after a split verdict in the parliamentary elections?
The author tweets @shailajabajpai. Views are personal.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)
To be honest, have stopped forming my opinions by what is shown on TV.