Flash Points: How India’s farmers got Modi to back down

The protesters triumphed, but deeper issues remain. [Foreign Policy Logo]( [Foreign Policy Flashpoints]( December 17, 2021 | [View in browser]( SPONSORED BY [THE MCCAIN INSTITUTE AT ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY]( On Dec. 11, the last of India’s farmers packed up and left their protest sites on the outskirts of New Delhi. For more than a year, protesters had staged demonstrations against agricultural reform laws passed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. Their movement, which began in the country’s northern state of Punjab, quickly gained global attention, including support from international celebrities. In November, Modi finally backed down and repealed the laws, putting an end to the unrest—at least for now. In this collection of articles, we examine the origins of the protests, digging into the issues at their core—which go deeper than Modi’s farm bills—and explore why repealing the laws may not put an end to the discontent of India’s agricultural sector and labor force.—Chloe Hadavas --------------------------------------------------------------- [Farmers Have Become Martyrs in India]( A grim death toll accompanies long-running protests. By Shoaib Mir and Ahmer Khan --------------------------------------------------------------- [Why India’s Farmers Won’t Stop Protesting]( Agriculture’s importance for the labor market cannot be underestimated—especially amid a historic pandemic. By Surupa Gupta and Sumit Ganguly --------------------------------------------------------------- [Why Rihanna and Greta Thunberg Are Taking on India’s Modi]( Global celebrities are helping Indians to fight their government’s crackdown on dissent. By Salil Tripathi --------------------------------------------------------------- [India’s Green Revolution Sowed the Seeds of Today’s Meltdown]( Farmers are protesting against more than Modi’s agricultural laws. They’ll keep going until he understands that. By Kabir Agarwal --------------------------------------------------------------- [Modi’s Farm Bills and Their Repeal Will Do Nothing for This Group]( Bonded laborers, many of whom belong to the Dalit community, are owned by their landlords and work for little or no pay. By Suprakash Majumdar Photo: Anindito Mukherjee/Getty Images --------------------------------------------------------------- SPONSORED [The McCain Global Leaders Program]( The McCain Global Leaders Program As democracies around the world face a growing number of threats, the McCain Institute is preparing today’s leaders to meet tomorrow’s challenges. The McCain Global Leaders Program is now accepting applications from individuals in the U.S. and abroad who are working to advance democracy, human rights, and freedom. [Apply today](. FOLLOW FP ON This email was sent to {EMAIL} because you are subscribed to FP’s Flashpoints newsletter. Want a friend to receive this newsletter? [Forward it]( now. Want to receive other FP newsletters? [Manage]( your FP newsletter preferences. [unsubscribe]( | [privacy policy]( | [contact us]( | [advertise]( Foreign Policy magazine is a division of Graham Holdings Company. All contents © 2021 The Slate Group, LLC. All rights reserved. Foreign Policy, 1750 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20006. [Link](