Capitalist agriculture, COVID-19 and agrarian labour relations in Punjab, India. (Symposium: Capitalism, crisis and COVID-19: agrarian political economy and circuits of capital and labour.)

ABSTRACT

In the state of Punjab, the heart of the green revolution in India, a large fraction of agricultural labour is expended by migrant workers. The unplanned lockdown imposed by the Indian government affected paddy transplantation, a labour-intensive activity in Punjab primarily due to interstate restrictions on movement. Drawing on a primary survey in a village from the Malwa region of Punjab, the paper examines the changes in agrarian relations in rural Punjab due to the Covid-19 pandemic by critically analysing the dynamics of capital labour relations. The restriction on labour movement and unilateral imposition of transplantation wage rates by a few Panchayats in Punjab (dominated by capitalist landlords and rich peasants) has intensified class conflict in the state. The Punjab government's policies, which are driven by the capitalist landlords and rich peasants, have played a significant role in the increased exploitation of workers. The paper concludes with a brief evaluation of the changes induced by Covid-19 in the agrarian political economy of Punjab.