“A Wrong Turn”
Farmers must suspend agitation and return to talks without their maximalist approach (महिष्टवादी दृष्टिकोण/रुख; a person or group who holds extreme views and is not prepared to compromise)
The chaos (अराजकता/अव्यवस्था; a state of disorder and confusion) and mindless violence unleashed (फैलाया गया; to suddenly release a violent force that cannot be controlled) on the national capital by a section of protesting farmers on Republic Day were abhorrent (घृणास्पद; to hate a way of behaving or thinking that is not moral).
It is plausible (विश्वसनीय; seeming likely to be true or believed) that agents provocateurs (प्रोत्तेजक; a person or group who intentionally encourages people to do something illegal so that they can be caught) infiltrated (घुसपैठकरना; to become a member of a group or organization to secretly gather information about its activities) the farmers’ march (जुलूस/प्रदर्शन; an event in which a large number of people walk through a public place to express their agreement or disagreement for something) but that does not absolve (मुक्त्त करना; to free someone from guilt, blame, or responsibility for something) the leaders of responsibility.
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The chances of fatigued agitators (थका हुआ आंदोलनकारी; people tired of taking part in protests and political activities, especially ones that cause trouble) breaking loose were high as were the possibilities of vested interests (निहित स्वार्थ; a strong personal interest in something because you could get an advantage from it) triggering violence. The leaders of the agitation should have taken note of (ध्यान रखना/देना; to give attention to something, especially because it is important) the divergence (à¤िन्नता/फर्क; a situation in which two things become different) in the rank and the rejection by certain recalcitrant groups (अड़ियल/उपद्रवी समूह; a group, unwilling to obey orders) of the routes for the march they had agreed with the Delhi police.
True, no popular mobilisation (संघटन/जुटाना; the act of organizing or preparing something, such as a group of people, for a purpose) can be held hostage (बंधक; someone who is made a prisoner in order to force other people to do something) to the threat of violent deviation by a handful (मुट्ठी à¤à¤°-लोग; a small number of people or things), but there is judgement to be made at each turn. The leadership, itself an association of disparate (अलग/à¤िन्न रूप से; different in every way) individuals and organisations, should have been more realistic about its capacity to manage such a gathering.
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In the end, unruly elements (अनियंत्रित तत्व; a part of something that is difficult to control or manage) took over the streets of Delhi. They broke barricades (बाड़/अवरोधक; a line or pile of objects put together, to stop people from going where they want to go), thrashed (पिटाई; to hit a person or animal hard repeatedly), and tried to mow down (मार ड़ालना/कुचल ड़ालना; to kill people, usually in large numbers, by shooting them or driving a vehicle into them) police personnel (कर्मचारी; the people who are employed in a company or one of the armed forces). The police resorted (सहारा लेना; to use something because it is the only thing available) to lathi charge and used tear gas, but, given the circumstances, showed restraint (संयम; calm and controlled behaviour). More than 300 personnel were injured, at least 40 of them seriously. All this, and the march itself, was avoidable.
The Delhi police must investigate and hold to account individuals and groups responsible for the violence. Farmer leaders have the unenviable task (अवांछनीय कार्य; a necessary action or task, but unpleasant or difficult) of cooperating with the police in the investigation. False friends and real enemies of the agitators have painted them with a communal (सांप्रदायिक; belonging to a group of people rather than one single person) brush.
Bringing the culprits to book is essential not only to salvage (बचाना/उबारना; to try to make a bad situation better) the reputation of an agitation that had remained largely peaceful for nearly two months but also to nip in the bud (सिर उठाते ही कुचल देना/ शुरुवात में ही मुसीबत को ख़त्म कर देना; to stop something before it has an opportunity to develop) a dangerous communal slant before it slips out of control.
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The Centre has said it would continue to engage the protesters in negotiations. The offer of the government to keep in abeyance (स्थगित; a state of not happening at present) for up to 18 months the three controversial farm laws that are at the heart of the current face-off (सामना करना; to begin a game/competition with two players facing one another) remains an opportunity for the leaders to seek a negotiated settlement.
The agitators want the laws to go lock, stock, and barrel (सब कुछ सहित; including all or every part of something) but their maximalist approach is unhelpful. They must discontinue the protest for now and disperse (छितरा देना/बिखेरना; to scatter or move away over a large area), while reserving the option of restarting it later.
They should consider options short of a complete repeal (रद्द/खंडन; removing the legal force of a law) of the laws. The Centre must consider more concessions, including the suspension of the laws until a broader agreement can be arrived at. It must make more efforts to allay (दूर/कम करना; to make a problem less difficult) the fears of those most affected by these reforms (सुधार; an improvement, especially in a person's behaviour or in the structure of something).
The Centre’s imperious (अà¤िमानी/अà¤िमानपूर्वक; unpleasantly proud and expecting to be obeyed) refusal to engage with political parties and State governments on critical questions of agriculture reforms has come back to haunt (बार बार परेशान करना; to cause repeated suffering or anxiety) it. The resolution to this impasse (गतिरोध; a situation in which progress is impossible, especially because the people involved cannot agree) can come only by involving them all.
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