Rise and Fall of the Bharatiya Kisan Union: The Farmers’ Protests of 2020–2021 in the Making of New Rural Politics

In the 1980s, India's farmers' protests including Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) emerged as a strong political force that played an important role in overthrow of Congress government the1989 elections. However, 1990s introduction neoliberal economic policies shifted agrarian economy to non-farm occupations and deepened ongoing crisis. By focusing on BKU its politics, this paper examines ways which change crisis coupled with rise Hindutva politics weakened polity western Uttar Pradesh over last three decades. Drawing ethnographic research Muzaffarnagar, however, I argue (of 2020 -2021) have revived identity renewed polity. These not only created unprecedented alliances across caste, class, gender, religion but also brought together farm unions, left, progressive civil society organizations.