The video by Ravish Kumar discusses the controversy surrounding the farm laws in India and the role of economists, media, and corporate groups in shaping these policies. The video highlights the efforts of economists from over 80 Indian institutions who have spoken out against censorship at Ashoka University, demanding the reinstatement of Sabyasachi Das and Pulapre Balakrishnan.
Kumar also mentions two reports from the Reporters Collective that reveal the controversial origins of the farm laws. According to these reports, an American NRI, Sharad Marathe, proposed the idea of 'corporatization of agriculture' to the NITI Aayog, which led to the formation of a task force to commercialize farming. This task force, which included representatives from corporate giants like Adani Group, ITC, Mahindra, Patanjali, and Big Basket, suggested that farming should be opened to the market and farmers' lands should be leased.
The video also discusses the role of Gautam Adani's business group in lobbying for changes in the Essential Commodities Act and the subsequent changes in the Agriculture Ordinance. The video concludes by criticizing the 'lapdog media' for its silence on these issues and calls for the government to address the farmers' concerns.
1. Ravish Kumar, the host, mentions a case of censorship at Ashoka University, where several departments have spoken collectively and demanded the reinstatement of Sabyasachi Das and Pulapre Balakrishnan. [Source: Document 1]
2. Around 300 economists from more than 80 Indian institutions have issued a statement, opposing the censorship in Ashoka University. [Source: Document 1]
3. Professors from various institutions, including IIM Kolkata, IIM Bangalore, IIT Delhi, Shriram College of Commerce, St. Xavier's College Kolkata, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics Pune, Delhi School of Economics, and private universities like OP Jindal and Azim Premji Universities, have raised their voices against the censorship. [Source: Document 1]
4. The economists, in their letter, stated that they strongly believe in academic freedom and demand the reinstatement of Prof. Sabyasachi Das. [Source: Document 1]
5. The farmers' movement and the voice of the economists are compared, with the latter stating that it has never happened in Indian history that economists of 81 institutes have spoken in one voice like the farmers. [Source: Document 1]
6. The Reporters Collective has revealed that the farmers were set up for a huge fraud with the three farm laws. [Source: Document 1]
7. The Reporters Collective reports that an American NRI, who has nothing to do with farming, came up with the idea of handing over agriculture and land to corporates, a concept known as 'corporatization of agriculture'. [Source: Document 1]
8. The PM Narendra Modi, on November 19, 2021, apologized for not being able to explain the truth of the farm laws to farmers. [Source: Document 2]
9. The report by Shrigirish Jalihal of Reporters Collective exposes that it was the corporates who were doing secretive 'penance' for Indian farmers. [Source: Document 2]
10. The report reveals that Sh. Sharad Marathe, who runs a software company in the US, proposed the idea of turning agriculture into a business and became a member of the Task Force constituted by the NITI Aayog. [Source: Document 2]
11. The report mentions that Sharad Marathe suggested the names of 11 members of the Task Force, which were accepted, and himself became a member too. [Source: Document 2]
12. The report claims that it was only after Sharad Marathe's proposal that the NITI Aayog constituted a Task Force, which suggested that to double farmers' incomes, farming would have to be commercialised. [Source: Document 2]
13. The report states that selected corporates like Adani Group, ITC, Mahindra, Patanjali, Big Basket were included in the Task Force. [Source: Document 2]
14. The report claims that Sharad Marathe had also suggested the names of 11 members of the Task Force, which were accepted, and himself became a member too. [Source: Document 2]
15. The report states that the task force, formed in January 2018 at Marathe’s behest, had ample time to talk to the farmers but they were not included. [Source: Document 2]
16. The report questions why the committee was formed of corporates only and not the farmers. [Source: Document 2]
17. The report claims that the farmers were misled and the laws were brought for the corporates. [Source: Document 2]
18. The report states that the farmers were not consulted before bringing the farm laws and that the government and NITI Aayog are delaying their response to the Reporters Collective report. [Source: Document 2]
19. The report reveals that the farmers understood that their future was at stake and protested for a year at the Delhi borders. [Source: Document 2]
20. The report mentions that during the farmers' movement, a lot of slogans used to be raised against the Adani group. [Source