Despite his best efforts, Indian Prime Minister Modi was not able to sow the seeds of discord among the farmers’ unions. He managed to wean away Naresh Tikait, a Jat Kisan leader, but his brother Rakesh Tikait refused to end the protest. He is now on hunger strike until his death.
To express solidarity with the farmers, 18 opposition parties have decided to boycott the Indian president’s address to a joint sitting of the parliament at the start of the budget session. They criticised the government for obduracy when 155 farmers, braving water cannons, tear gas and lathi charges, have already lost their lives. The government-sponsored media published stories that the movement was being backed up by Khalistani and Pakistani elements. 
Pakistani drones allegedly dropped hand-grenade through drones in East Punjab which eerily never exploded or displayed to the media. The government even resorted to filing an affidavit in the Supreme Court to affirm its allegation of foreign aid to the peaceful movement. The protest has now assumed an all-Indian dimension as Bhim-army chief Chandra Sheikhar Azad, founder of Azad Samaj party (open-society party) joined the protesters with declaration `ek juth ho kar larna hai’ (we have to fight united). 
Modi’s nightmare is that the oppressed-movement wave appears to have turned against him (Muslim 14.23%, Christians 2.3%, the Scheduled castes 16.6%, and Scheduled Tribes 8.6%). Modi became Prime Minister with only over 37 per cent votes in 2019.
MOHAMMAD ASAD MALIK,
Rawalpindi.