QUESTION: The farmers’ agitation is now nearing its end. They are writing to the Prime Minister asking him to repeal the laws through an act of parliament. Finally, the Government has accepted their demands. How do you perceive it from a democratic point of view in the context of such a long protest by the farmers? What does it tell us about democracy?

ANSWER: The farmers are in a state of distress. Before enacting the laws, there should have been proper consultation with the farmers. I think the far-mers stood their ground with great commitment. The sacrifice they made in cold and heat has finally borne fruit. Overall, the country should have been more sensitive to their demands and engaged them in a dialogue. Far-mers are the backbone of the country. Much of the economy is depending on farming. 1.3 billion people require sufficient food to eat; it is the farmers who produce it. We should appreciate that and sort out their problems. The government was not willing to have a serious dialogue with them. It resorted to punching them instead. When you harm the farmers, the whole country gets harmed. Our democracy is now slowly transforming into a cor-porate democracy. Even Synodality is a spirituality of democracy as proposed by Pope Francis. Accom-paniment, togetherness, consultation, collegiality, collaboration, and co-ope-ration are the vital eleme-nts of any democracy or any church.

Bishop Henry D’Souza
Bellary