‘Modi Challenged’: How Int’l Media Covered Delhi Farmers’ Unrest

While some called the protests a challenge for PM Modi, others called the unrest an embarrassment to the Centre.

The 72nd Republic Day of India saw unprecedented unrest as the farmer’s ‘Kisan Gantantra Parade’ tractor rally turned violent at several places in the national capital, with scores of farmers and policemen injured, tear gas shelling and lathi charge on protesters and vandalism and clashes at the Red Fort.

With one protester dead and the Home Ministry planning the next course of action, an unrest of this scale was bound to get international media attention.

While some international media houses called the protests a big challenge for PM Modi, others called Tuesday’s events an embarrassment to the Central government on a day of national significance.

‘Embarrassment for Modi on a National Day’: NYT

The New York Times said that the protests were the most violent escalation in two months of generally peaceful protests that have tested the government in unprecedented ways.

In the article, Mujib Mashal, Emily Schmall and Hari Kumar wrote:

“The deadlock boiled over in what – for Mr Modi at least – was an embarrassing showdown that came on a national holiday and in the midst of a pandemic and economic slowdown that have also challenged his leadership. As Mr Modi, in a red turban, saluted his officers and watched his country’s latest warplanes fly over a grand parade marking 72 years since India’s inception as a republic, protesters riding atop tens of thousands of tractors were dismantling barricades and rumbling toward the city center. (sic)”

The New York Times

‘Chaos Represent a Growing Political Problem’: The Washington Post

Joanna Slater and Taniya Dutta, writing for The Washington Post called it a fresh challenge for India’s leadership.

“The tenacity of the farmer protests and the chaotic scenes in Delhi represent a growing political problem for the government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which won a landslide reelection victory in 2019.”

The Washington Post

‘Significant Challenge for Modi Govt’: CNN

CNN described the violence on the street of Delhi, calling the protests a ‘significant challenge’ for the Narendra Modi government.

Esha Mitra and Helen Regan, writing for CNN said:

“The massive protests have been a significant challenge to Modi as months of demonstrations and sit-ins across the country against his key agricultural policy have grown into a stalemate marked by deadlocked talks between farmers and his administration.”

CNN

‘Biggest Challenge for Modi Since 2014’: The Independent

Writing about the day’s developments and highlighting reactions by farmer’s unions and politicians, The Independent called the protest one of the biggest challenges to the Centre since 2014.

Danish Siddiqui and Devjyot Ghoshal wrote:

Growers, angered by laws they say help large, private buyers at the expense of producers, have camped outside New Delhi for almost two months, posing one of the biggest challenges to Prime Minister Narendra Modi since he came to power in 2014.

The Independent

‘Govt Failed to Consult Farmers’: BBC

Narrating the Day’s events, the BBC wrote, “Most economists and experts agree that Indian agriculture desperately needs reform. But critics of the government say it failed to consult farmers before passing the laws. Experts also point out that the reforms fail to take into account that agriculture still remains a mainstay in the Indian economy.”