In a normal world, Vijoo Krishnan would have led the farmers who are protesting the latest farm bills. However, these aren't regular times. A pandemic is around and the virus hasn't spared the All India Kisan Sabha Joint Secretary. While recovering from a few post-COVID complications, the leader who led a few of the most notable farmer movements in the country is not someone who can stay out of things. Case in point, he delivered a lecture on the bills at an online event organised by the Ambedkar Periyar Study Circle of IIT Madras.
The lecture was not smooth. Infiltrators had created a ruckus, hurled abuses at him and shared pornographic clips to disrupt the talk. Unfazed, he says, "I have been with the farmers since 2009 and I know the ground reality. These trolls could have refuted my points logically and debunked my arguments. However, they were not able to do so," says Krishnan. He has been involved in the farmers' issues since 2009, after his stint in JNU pursuing his PhD. Later, he was the HOD of the Political Science Department of St Joseph's College, Bengaluru.
Someone who believes that the protests have been heading in the right direction, this former JNUSU President says that he hasn't seen this big a show of solidarity ever. "The Prime Minister says that our farmers are misled. They may not know the legalities of these bills, but they understood that this is for helping the corporates," says Krishnan, adding, "It is important to expose the actual intentions of the new laws."
He also says that the protests have made more people understand that the bills have been drafted to aid the Adanis and the Ambanis. "Right before the bills were introduced, the Adanis had set up silos. The land use pattern in Haryana was changed. It is more like that they were anticipating this bill. We don't know yet if they've drafted the bill," he says.
Accusing trolls of disrupting his lecture, Krishnan calls them immature. "It shows to what level they can stoop. We know how the trolls are attacking the dissenting voices on social media. Rape threats are being sent to even minors. On one hand, they talk about Indian culture, but this is the culture that they are showing," he says. "Threats and such disruptions by Sanghi cyber goons shall not deter us from speaking the truth," he adds.
