Farmers Protest: We Work Harder Than Men, Not Going Back, Say Women Protestors

It is for the first time that Ravinder Pal Kaur has been away from her home during 바카라�Lohri바카라�, an auspicious festival for her family in Punjab. However, the 54-year old farmer harbours no regrets. Kaur says that the celebrations were 바카라�in high spirits바카라� as she along with thousands of farmers burned copies of 바카라�three new farm laws바카라� at the Singhu border, where she has been protesting for the last 50 days.

Kaur is among the thousands of women who are at the forefront of agitation against the three bills, which were passed by the Parliament in September last year.

Also read: Hope? None At All But We Stay And Fight, Say Farm Leaders

The 50- days hardships at the border haven바카라�t weakened Kaur바카라�s resolve, but the Apex court바카라�s recent suggestion that protesting women, elderly farmers, and children should return home, came as a huge disappointment for her.

바카라�How can the court ask women to leave? Women plant seeds harvest the crops and 80 per cent of farm labour is done by us.  We are equal to men.  Nobody will leave the protest site. We are very much part of the struggle,바카라� says Kaur, who is the secretary of Jai Kisan Andolan.

During the hearing on January 11, Chief Justice of India SA Bobde has expressed concern over protestors sitting in severe cold and pandemic situation.

바카라�We don't understand either why old people and women are kept in the protests. Anyway, that is a different matter바카라� said the CJI, who headed a three-judge bench. Later on Tuesday, the court stayed the implementation of the new farm laws till further orders and set up a four-member committee to solve the impasse.

Kaur, who is from Faridkot in Punjab, owns a small landholding. A single mother, Kaur바카라�s life has been always about farming and fields. Kaur feels that women farmers will be the worst affected if the new agricultural bills come into force.

바카라�In the new set up, women farmers will be the worst sufferers. Since there won바카라�t be MSP or APMCs, women will be exploited more,바카라� says Kaur. Though she misses her three-months-old grandchild back home,  Kaur feels that it바카라�s a do or die situation for farmers.

Another farmer leader Rajbala Yadav echoes Kaur바카라�s views. The 63-year old, who hails from the Rewari district in Haryana, finds the CJI바카라�s observation as patriarchal and belittling women바카라�s role in society.

바카라�Women always played a critical role in all struggles throughout history. They are working shoulder to shoulder with men in all spheres. In farming too, women work harder than men. Why the discrimination then?바카라� asks Yadav.

Yadav, who has been camping at the Shahjahanpur border since November, is ready to brave adverse weather and the makeshift arrangements. The land is sacred like one바카라�s mother, she says. 바카라�We consider our land as our mother. We can sacrifice our lives for it,바카라� she says.

The new laws will impact women the most, a valid reason for them to be at the frontline, she says. 바카라�In the absence of minimum support price (MSP), our household economy will be in crisis,바카라� she adds. She wants nothing less than the repeal of the three laws바카라�Farmers바카라� Produce Trade and Commerce Bill, the Farmers Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill.

Activists also feel that CJI바카라�s comments endorse the common notion of women not being the landowners. Kavitha Kuruganti of Mahila Kisan Adhikaar Manch (MAKAAM), says that the comments reek of patriarchy.

바카라�It바카라�s a patriarchal mindset. By making such comments, the top court portrays women as vulnerable and says that women don바카라�t have the agency to decide their actions,바카라� says Kuruganti.

Kuruganti says that the comment should be seen in the context of women not recognized as farmers even though they actively participate in farm labour and fields. Studies also show that women in India, own only 12.8 per cent of landholdings, though 73per cent of rural women are engaged in agriculture.

바카라�An important aspect is that women are not being considered as farmers, even as they put maximum work into farming because of lack of land ownership, which is directly linked to patriarchy,바카라� she adds.

Kuruganti also concurs that the large presence of women indicates that they are aware of the fallouts of the 바카라�reforms바카라�. 바카라�In the deregulated set up, women will be more vulnerable to exploitation in the absence of markets,바카라� she says adding that the new laws will only deepen the gender gap in terms of access to market and mobility.  

A young farmer activist, Amandeep Kaur Khiva too is anguished about the statement made by the CJI. Hailing from a farming family in Punjab바카라�s Faridkot, Khiva joined the protests more than a month back and she is determined to stay put. The 25-year old wonders why SC is treating women like second class citizens. She says that they have heard the comment earlier from Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar too.

바카라�Just like men, women are equally dismayed and angry about the new laws. Our land is dear to us too. It바카라�s the affected people who are protesting. The government has no right to decide who should protest or not,바카라� she says.

Khiva, who is a member of a cultural team of a protest group, worries that the new laws will be detrimental to Punjab, whose tradition and culture are deeply connected to agriculture. Labour class will be affected too, she contends.

바카라�The women labour class will face hardship if the laws are implemented. Their work will dry up. When a farmer is not secure, how will they employ people?바카라� she asks. A post-graduate, Khiva has decided not to pursue higher studies till the laws are repealed.

Pratibha Shinde, activist and general secretary of the Lok Sangharsh Morcha likes to remind the Supreme Court of women바카라�s role in revolutionizing agriculture in the country. 바카라� Women perform arduous tasks from sowing to harvesting. SC바카라�s observation was discriminatory. If the court wants to show concern, it should be for everyone regardless of gender,바카라� says Shinde, who was at the Shahjahanpur border.

Women will be at the receiving end of the Agri laws come into play, says Shinde. 바카라�APMC and FCI will be finished. When the government stops buying grains, the Public distribution system (PDS) will take a hit. Women will feel the pinch more,바카라� she says adding that women participate in the protests on their own volition because of their concern for future generations.

The proposition sounds true for many protestors like Kaur. For them, the struggle is also about protecting the family-owned lands for future generations amid the looming fear that big corporates will snatch the land away from them.

바카라�We turned our soil into gold after toiling a lot. Why would I give it away to corporates? We will be answerable to future generations if we bow our heads before the government,바카라� says Kaur. It is a long haul, and they are prepared for it.