Indian farmers are fighting new laws passed last fall, that would benefit big companies and hinder the livelihood of lower income farmers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been unsuccessful in his attempts to find common ground. A large percentage of the Indian economy is dependent on agriculture and farmers are a large voting bloc for the country. Nodeep Kaur is an Indian labour rights activist, who joined farmers in protest. Kaur alleges that she was sexually assaulted and tortured while in custody, the police have denied the claims. Disha Ravi, an Indian climate activist was also arrested and was just released on bail. Please answer 2-3 of the questions below.

Compare and contrast PM Modi’s response to the farmer protests with the actions of former President Trump during the protests of summer 2020. Are the farmers grievances “rooted in economic issues, not religious ones” or are minority groups being discriminated against? Describe an alternative strategy that would ease tensions while bringing reforms to modernize the Indian farming sector? How is capitalism impacting the farmers?

Saaliq, S. (2021). Explainer: Why India’s farmers are revolting against PM Modi. Retrieved on February 24, 2021 from https://apnews.com/article/india-farmers-protest-explained-1ccbf48d76a55a1061f40d9a1e951314 (Links to an external site.)

Singh Sandhu, J. (2021). Police respond to Nodeep Kaur’s bail plea in HC: ‘No mention of assault in custody’. Retrieved on February 25, 2021 from https://indianexpress.com/article/india/haryana-police-respond-to-nodeep-kaur-bail-plea-7203771/