Context
Author tries to uncover the underlying theme of the recent Jallikattu protests that ended in police brutality
Issue: Underlying reasons for Jallikattu protests
In the first few paragraphs author states that there is more to it than meets the eye vis-à-vis Jallikattu protests. These protests cannot be brushed aside as being a simple reaction to a perceived threat to cultural identity of Tamils.
Possible reasons for a large scale protest
- Agrarian crisis in Tamil Nadu: Close to 150 farmers are reported to have committed suicide in the state since the second half of 2016
- Low income despite high productivity:The median annual income for a farmer in the state was less than Rs 20,000 in 2012-13, despite relatively high productivity levels across several crops including paddy
- Declining returns and high level of debt: Author states that following factors contributed to the high levels of debt and low return for the farmers,
- Inadequate public investments in agriculture, especially in irrigation
- Rise in the cost of cultivation due to high input intensity including excessive extraction of ground water
- Predominance of marginal landholdings
- Unaffordable farm land: Rising rural land prices due to speculative investments made farm land unaffordable for farmers
- Demonetisation: The demonetisation move from the central government made the matters worse for the farmers as they were unable to borrow or draw their own savings from public banks leading to high interest on private debt
- Delay in payments from MGNREGS: Among landless laborers the quantum of employment from agriculture has been falling consistently. Payments for work done under the MGNREGA have been delayed for months
While farmers from the Cauvery delta and elsewhere made their way into the protests in Chennai, many students too identified themselves with cultivators
- Anxiety over income security: Author states that according to the report of the All India Survey on Higher Education 2014-15, 45.2 per cent of Tamil Nadu’s youth in the age group of 18-23 years was engaged in some form of higher education.
- High degree of student loans but commensurate jobs not available: With the privatization of higher education, the state also accounted for more than one-fifth of all educational loans availed in the country through public sector banks. Such debt-backed investments are not backed by quality jobs commensurate with the educational qualifications. Most of the jobs in the state have been created in construction and low-end services that are clearly out of sync with the expectations of the students and their investments
- Agriculture, a last secure post: Since jobs as per their qualifications are not available agriculture is viewed as a ray of hope. It might not be the only one but acts as an important source of income security
Author states that all such anxieties fused together around the Jallikattu ban and took the shape of sudden mass upsurge
Amendment to the bill
Even the amendment made to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal Act 1960 was not accepted by protestors due to deep mistrust of political tokenism. Moreover, as protests were never simply about Jallikattu ban, youth also did not see the government’s legislation as a victory
