Volume 3, No. 7, July 2002

When it comes to peasants struggles, Haryana comes least to the mind. But things are changing. The onslaught of imperialism through the WB, IMF and WTO is bound to bring the most backward masses to the battlefield. The people of Haryana are waking up. In the last six months, there were widespread militant struggles by several sections of the people. First it was the students’ struggle in two important universities of Haryana against the government’s anti-student policies. Then the struggle of the mine workers in Bhiwani. Thousands of workers fought militantly against the contractors and pitched battles with the police who came to the protection of the contractors. Employees in thousands rallied against privatiza-tion, retrenchment, VRS, wage freeze and such WTO dictated policies. And now there is the militant peasant movement whose epicenter is village Kandela in Jind district. Har-yana, hi-therto known for sending soldiers for the protection of the Indian state and ruling classes, has begun to change its image and is also fighting against the Indian state.

Kandela is a big village in the heart of Haryana in Jind district. Not many people know this village before this struggle. But it has become a symbol of peasant resistance against the irresponsible politicians who show heaven before the elections and care a hoot to implement them. Kandela became a symbol for peasant resistance against state repression, and is showing the way for people to unite and fight; where even mighty rulers have to stoop before people’s power. Kandela and the villages that are in the forefront also show how the struggle electrifies and brings rapid changes in the consciousness of even the most backward sections so fast.

It is a continuing history of treachery. A history of broken promises with impunity. It was the Bhajan Lal government of the Congress-I, which killed peasants in police firing in 1993 at Nissing, a small town in Karnal District. Four were killed and many were wounded. Bansi lal grabbed this opportunity and captured power. Peasants’ problems were not solved. In south Haryana in 1997, the situation became explosive as the government did not solve the simple demand of repairing the damaged transformers which turned into a demand of supplying electricity free. Peasant pro-tests took the shape of a ‘rail roko’. Police firings took place at Kadma and Man-diali whe-re six peasants fell to police bullets. The Meham hooligan Om Prakash Chautala tried to brush off his tainted image and portay himself as kisan-putr(Son of peasant), giving lofty promises to the masses in the election campaign and captured power. But when peasants began to demand the implementation of the promise of wiping out the old dues of electricity, another Meham was awaiting the peasantry. The three successive governments killed peasants on the issue of payment of electricity bills. The most notorious in this regard is Chautala. His main slogan during the elections was free water and electricity. "No more electricity cuts and no more electricity bills" (bijli jaavega nahin , bill avega nahin). During the Bansi Lal regime Chautala exhorted people not to pay electricity bills. He won the elections and conveniently slept over the promises until his slumber was disturbed by the peasantry.

The present crisis and the consequent resentment among the peasant masses, coincides with the onslaught of the imperialist directed new economic policies of privatization, liberalization and globalization. The WB-IMF-WTO asked the Indian ruling classes to liberalize everything, including agriculture. What does it mean to the peasantry? No subsidy to electricity and water, fertilizer or other agriculture inputs and products and for the freedom for entry of multi-nationals in the agricultural market.

When electricity rates were hiked during the Bhajan Lal period, peasants opposed it bitterly as already agriculture was in crisis. So the protest sta-rted from then, and is going on in one form or the other and so far twenty peasants have sacrificied their lives. Having taken loans from the World bank and to satisfy the conditions imposed all successive governments in Haryana have refused to reduse the hiked charges at all. As the water level is decreasing in general, wherever tubewell irrigation is prevalent, the electricity costs are increasing and the hike in the rates are like a democle’s sword over their heads. That is why the slogan of free electricity is striking an insant cord with peasants and they were able to win the elections. But as the comprodors cannot violate the conditions of the World Bank , they are resorting to severe repression to  the  peasants’  dissent which has been erupting in one form or oth-er since a decade.

After Chautala won the elections, peasants anxiously waited for the fulfillment of this promise — i.e. atleast the waiving of the decade long dues worth Rs.800 crores from the peasantry. When nothing of that sort happened, the peasantry under the leadership of the BKU (Bharatiya Kisan Union) started agitating. On December 21st, the BKU announced a big rally at Kandela village demanding the waiving of dues. The rally was quite a success. The immediate impetus for the success of the rally was the reactions againsts the Chautala government, who not only did not waive the promised dues nor grant free electricity, but made it mandatory for the peasants to show ‘no dues certificates’ from the electricity department for getting any loan, or make any registration or even to get admissions for their children into educational institutions!

The Chautala government tried to stop the rally as best it could. But more than 20 thousand attended the rally. When police tried to create trouble, peasants clashed with the police. The police opened fire on the peasants. The peasants replied with stones and traditional weapons. Ultimately the police had to retreat. On the one hand there was serious charges framed against the people and BKU leadership with warrants being issued, and on the other the government was forced to come for talks. The talks dragged on, and on 31st December the government came to an agreement with the BKU leadership, which came to be known as the Kandela Agreement. According to which, all the burnt transformers would be repaired, the mandatory condition of submission of ‘no dues certificate’ would be scrapped, a respectable agreement would be reached in future on the old electricity bills due by the peasantry. The government however backtracked and denied any such agreement. Talks were held in January and March but, no agreement could be reached over the main issue.

The month of April is crucial for the peasantry as they are busy in harvest works. While pretending for talks, they started arrests of the leadership revising old warrants of the December 21st incidents. Arrest warrants were issued against 65 peasant leaders, and the president of the BKU, Ghasiram Nain was declared wanted and Rs.10,000 was announced as prize money if an body facilitates his arrest. The Government started confiscating the properties of many sate and district level leaders. Thus the repression went to unprecedented levels for the first time in Haryana’s history. When a fact finding team of the BKU(Ekta) and FAIG under the leadership of AIPRF’s president Dr. Darshan Pal came to Haryana they were arrested. While continuing this, Chautala announced 75% concession on the old dues and demanded the payment of 25% of all arrears.

The game plan of Chautala was to suppress the present movement and BKU too. They were two compulsions before the government. One was the privatization of electricity distribution, which was a conditionality accepted at the time of the Congress government while taking the Rs.5000 crore loan from the World Bank. This was done in order to facilitate and guarantee the industrialists, who are going to take up the distribution, that they can get payments from the people without any problem. The second one is much more serious. To fulfill the conditions of the WTO, that Indian agriculture should be oped up for foreign players, and that no subsidies should be given to any agricultural products. So no more purchases by the government for reasonable prices. The peasants have to follow the dictates of the market. Expecting a volatile situation, in case the agricultural products, especially wheat is not purchased by the government, Chautala plans to make the peasants leaderless by suppressing the BKU. After he came to power he began to advise the peasantry to go in for horticulture and growing of fruits.

But Chautala’s plans have back fired. However much the repression he brought the peasants united with their resolve to fight. When the BKU announced a big rally at Kandela to fight repression and fight for the demands, peasants rallied in a big way despite police hurdles. Barricades were put, and rumours were afloat that something serious would happen, etc. Thousands rallied with traditional weapons. For the first time women participated in a big way and carried weapons too. People were prepared for any showdown. When the police stopped the rallyists at Nagura who were coming to attend the Kandela rally, people resisted and the police fired. One Ram Swaroop, a peasant, was killed and another body was found in the field couple of days later. His body bore marks of severe beatings. The police caught him and beat him to death. Another youth who was injured, died on May 24th as he was not admitted to hospital fearing arrest, because the police were arresting the injured persons. Scores of people were injured by bullets.

The peoples’ reaction was swift. In Kiloi village four personnel including a DSP were taken hostage. In Kandela on 21st May the people took five as hostages including two DSPs. The people fortified the village and soon started road blocks. Jind-Panipat, Jind-Hissar, Jind-Kaithal-Chandigarh roads were blocked at various points. People fought pitched battles, while the police tried to remove the blockades. The police had to retreat. Police, Government officials, MLAs and MPs especially belonging to the INLD had no guts to enter villages. To protect the warranted leaders of the BKU, people formed three rings. Round the clock sentry duties were started. Stones, traditional weapons, and fire arms were collected. The terror tactics of the police continued. There were police firings at five places on the people at various centers of barricades. In all 9 people were killed by the killer Chautala. More than hundred have been arrested and 2000 people were booked under various offences.

The militant tactics could not be digested by any ruling class parties. Some papers saw dangerous consequences of the peasant militant tactics. Though the Congress came in support of the movement, a section avowedly opposed the demands and militant tactics of the peasants. The revisionists, especially CPM, kept itself at a safe distance, saying that the situation was not handled properly. Except the revolutionary youth and students organizations, all kept away from the scene.

After a month, Chautala came down and released all the arrested persons from the various jails and withdrew the police cases foisted on the peasantry since 1992. Through the demand for the withdrawl of the remaining 25% of the electricty dues has not been met, and, for the present, the movement has been withdrawn, this peasant struggle, despite some weaknesses, will go down in the history of the Haryana Movement as a milestone.

Though there were good opportunities to spread the movement to the whole of Haryana, it was left to spontaneity. It did not try to unite various sections within the villages. Especially agricultural labourers were kept aloof from the movement, because of the class limitations of the leadership. Despite that, in some villages, rural labour went in demonstrations in support of the peasant movement. There was no attempt to take the solidarity of the urban masses. There was no active attempt to get support of peasant organizations of other states. BKU (Ekta) of Punjab held a demonstration at Chandigarh in support of the peasant movement condemning the repression. The leadership though overall it performed better in the historical condition of Haryana, it showed a lot weaknesses during the movement. It took a whole three days to announce the Road block programme. It left the hostages, fearing a lot of repression, though people were determined to keep them till their demands were met.

The present movement in Haryana shows of the possibility of a strong anti-state and anti imperialist movement throughout the country against the WTO-IMF-WB policies in agriculture being forced through by the lackey governments in the Centre and the states.

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