Farmers' Protest could be BJP's Achilles Heel ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha Elections. Will INDIA bloc take the opportunity?
Minimum Support Price (MSP). The protest that turned violent upon attempting to enter Delhi, saw a massive stir on 26 January, 2021, when a section of the tractor Rally, or Chakka Jam, deflected and moved towards the Red Fort. On 19 November 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address to the nation announced that the Centre had decided to repeal the three farm laws passed by the Parliament the previous year.
However, a renewed farmers' protest, the only one considered to have been able to stand to the PM Modi government, would be a test of governance for the Modi government and the opposition INDIA bloc, right ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha Polls. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi is looking a third straight win in the seat of governance, equating Jawaharlal Nehru's feat, the farmers' protest stands as a worry, so close to the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections for the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP). Even though the three Assembly win for the saffron party in December 2023 may have buoyed their confidence, as chance for worry retains with the farmers' protest.
It is to be noted that the farmers staging protests hail from politically crucial states of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, all in the Hindi heartland. Apart from them farmers from Tamil Nadu have also joined, Tamil Nadu, a state Pm Modi has failed to make headwinds despite the 'Sengol' move. This means the farmers protest jeopardizes PM Modi's strong hold over the Hindi heartland, as well as his efforts to impress India's southern states.
Punjab sends 13 members to the Lok Sabha. BJP would lose face if the farmers' protest escalates, thereby loosing the Punjab vote bank to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) or Congress. According to Hindustan Times report, there were talks of
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