Reporters Without Orders Ep 154: Tracking the farmer protests in UP, Haryana and Punjab

In this episode, Nidhi Suresh takes over as host and she’s joined by Newslaundry’s Ayush Tiwari.

Nidhi asks Ayush about his coverage of the farmer protests at Ghazipur and Singhu. Ayush notes that in Ghazipur, the resentment of sugarcane farmers is “driving them” to protest sites. “The andolan, the movement, has very successfully sucked up all the resentment and turned it into energy to run these protests,” he says.

Ayush also talks about his reports from western Uttar Pradesh, the role of the Tikait brothers, and the mahapanchayats organised to discuss the farm laws.

Nidhi spotlights the protests in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab, saying: “The sort of resentment is coming from the way the law was pushed in as an ordinance, the way they haven’t been heard. This sort of movement is also really asking the government to fix their relationship with the farmers.” She and Ayush also contrast the protests with what it was like to report on the Delhi riots.

This and a lot more as they talk about what made news, what didn’t, and what shouldn’t have.

Tune in!

Recommendations

Ayush

Muzaffarnagar riots and legacy issues: Rakesh Tikait’s unlikely rise to farmer leadership by Sunil Kashyap

Why Saini farmers in Uttar Pradesh aren’t supporting farmer protests

Nidhi

Cities Divided: How Exclusion Of Muslims Sharpens Inequality by Mohsin Alam Bhat & Asaf Ali Lone

Produced by Stallan Nayak, edited by Umrav Singh.

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