Democracy was left bloodied at Lakhimpur Kheri by the supposed minders of democracy. Several protesting farmers were mowed down by speeding vehicles, one of which, witnesses alleged, was being driven by the son of a Union minister. Some other lives were lost in the violence that followed. Madness has a method, and the bloodbath in Lakhimpur Kheri is not an exception. There are allegations of a provocative speech made by the said minister. If they are true, it would be consistent with the strategy of vilification employed by the Bharatiya Janata Party. Instead of engaging with opponents and critics, the BJP finds merit in employing its formidable propaganda machinery — segments of the media are complicit in such campaigns — to discredit the counter-narrative. Choicest of epithets — ‘anti-nationals’, ‘Khalistanis’ — have been hurled at farmers protesting against the new agricultural laws to deny legitimacy to a movement that has acquired significant force. This mischief has been complemented by explicit threats, such as the ones issued by the chief minister of Haryana recently. The sustained vilification is not the only blot deepening on the fabric of Indian democracy. The Uttar Pradesh administration got into the act after Sunday’s violence, preventing a number of leaders from the Opposition from reaching Ground Zero. Imposed besiegement, too, is typical of the BJP playbook.

The Supreme Court’s position on peaceful, democratic protest by farmers has been peculiar. A bench of the apex court has decided to examine the constitutional right of the farmers to protest on a matter that is already in court. Can such a perspective strengthen the Centre’s ploy of discrediting the agitation? Significantly, a former Chief Justice of India had argued that farmers have a constitutional right to protest as long as the mobilization did not threaten public order. Lakhimpur Kheri has exposed the real face of
the threat to peace and order. What is at stake here is the sanctity of a principle — public protest — that is integral to the democratic ethic. It must be pointed out that neither a legislative nor a judicial resolution has been in sight in spite of the fact that hundreds of farmers have perished in the course of the long agitation. The horror of Lakhimpur Kheri would provide another spark to the rising flame.