Opposition lines up with the agitators
With the Narendra Modi led Government losing grip, the 13-day long Delhi blockade by farmers has now culminated into a Bharat Bandh on December 8, supported by major political parties. Though the BJP-led Central Government is scheduled to talk with the farmers on December 9 – after its sixth meeting with farmers in the past 13 days – still there is no solution. Now all the major political parties such as the Congress, the Left, National Congress Party (NCP), and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are with the agitating farmers’ unions which are also infiltrated by all shades and hues of anti-BJP forces. Though not participating in the protests, Sangh Parivar outfits like Bharatiya Kisan Sangh are also agreeing to most of the demands of agitating farmers.
Bill rushed, inadequate communication
How did the Modi Government fail to tackle this crisis? The answer lies in a failure to communicate. It did not explain the benefits of the three new farm bills and the way the government went about passing these bills has created this opposition. These bills, well-intended, give freedom to the farmers to sell their products to whom they wish, thus taking out the control of mandatory selling at the local markets, which are controlled by local middlemen and the local political outfits. But the way in which the government rushed it created doubts in the minds of many people that these bills are intended to help the corporate companies wishing to enter the agro retail sector. These bills which are supposed to bring liberalization in the archaic agro marketing field should have been created after a lot of deliberations and taking the farming community along. But the government brought out these bills as an Ordinance during the COVID Lockdown period in June and rushed it to the Parliament and got it passed in a controversial way without sending to Parliament’s Standing Committee, which is where threadbare debates happen.
Corporate moves
Within weeks of passing the Bills in the Parliament, in September, Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Retail got around Rs.48,000 crores investment by selling its 10% shares to many foreign firms. Many Corporate firms are entering the agro-marketing sector and many farmers’ unions accuse that after some time the price will be dictated by these companies. Despite government assurances that the Minimum Support Price (MSP) mechanism will prevail, farmers’ unions point out that these bills are not ensuring MSP at all.
Find a way
Many people feel that Modi Government must shed its tough attitude and settle the farmers’ strike as early as possible. The government can amend the bills by adding provisions that sales below MSP are punishable. The government should not allow the farmers’ strike to aggravate further. Time for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take initiatives to end this chaos and make peace with the agitating farmers.
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After over seven decades the government has done well in bringing initial reforms in Agri sector in the form of excellent Farm Bills. It’s true that the Govt has not communicated in the form of releasing trial balloons in the corridors of power initially before the dawn of Farm Bills which pauperizes middlemen/becholi/ dalals and rogue farm goons assisting their local netas and issuing advertisements in all 26 recognized languages.
Let the Govt launch One month training programs for farmer’s grown up progeny to learn new techniques in farming, horticulture and Sericulture.
Govt did very well in arresting antinational tribe, few terrorist agents, radical left-wing oligarchs, resident non-Indians by exposing clearly the nexus between them and the funds made available to such mini protests and if we compare the then mighty Mahendra Singh Tikait and his ilk four decades ago who used to line up many kilometres long que of bullock carts……bringing down Nehru Gandhi lead Govts……….the current protest are bullying tactics.
In my two decades of experience in consultancy I saw these farm bills having very big potential for Exporting farm produce at local panchayat, provincial, States and national levels not necessarily by the local educated farmer’s progenies but also unemployed youths opening their little shops either online or city based innumerable clusters of apartments by associating with inhabitants to buy farm fresh directly at a competitive price tags meeting apartment’s welfare associations………with or without annual agreements………by and between farmer and the residents…….
We have nationwide and internally also “branded Logos” patented by ITC, More, Reliance, Ratnadeep, Spencer’s, Big Basket, Wal-Mart, Amazon, Flipkart to name a few. Already farm produces are in private hands!! There are challenges too and can be met by employing educated Agriculture degree holding graduates, Krishi Vignana Kendras, ICRISAT………..
As far as the fertilizers are concerned the Govt has started neem coating on fertilizers and doing good to farmers and extending them soil testing facilities too.
Burning Stubbles should be minimised or by consulting Cabinet Minister Nitin Gadkari to know how to use agri waste/recycle and produce electricity or bagasse….
Current 80% protests are funded by Punjab Govt, Akalis, Haryanvi elite farmers, Western UP State Ajit Singh, Pawars, left over leftists and not forgetting Nehru Gandhis party, AAP…..
Punjab Govt lost Rs.16000 Crores annual income and its misuse and pilferage less said the better
Farm Bills doubles poor and marginal farmers’ incomes and economic stability in due course of time getting all the money eaten away by middlemen/becholi/ dalals and rogue farm goons assisting their local netas.
Let the Indian Army take out drill/Flag march past all along protesting farmers and make them realize that Jai Jawan Jai Kisan slogan!!! This action may divide protesting farmers and there might be few black sheeps among 35 Unions out of which 31 are from Punjab alone!!
few lines from my experience decades of lethargy and colonial laws and so on…….
My neighbor farmer cultivates paddy and other pulses, last year I asked him to give me (since two years I’m into farming) rice, he said this rice is only for MSP, this we can’t eat, then who will eat this rice? Ok as a taxpayer how you’ll feel, the government is buying at MSP subsidies free electricity (I’m not telling that it’s prevailing everywhere) and for an open market, they produce different quality paddy and they will not shift from these crops, and advise me not to do experiments, when I went with a banana I’ll not get the same support from the government. Because of MSP they don’t adopt new methods (per acre yields are less) Every year I go to a hill station near our city and stay with tribe friends and their rice is so good and the rice they cultivate for themselves and they don’t take from PDS. So what’s happening to the procurement ….
I think there could be a misjudgement here. The Government is doing well in this battle of attrition. Any act of widespread disturbance of the peace by movement restriction is becoming unpopular by the day and the handful of Punjab farmers are not getting futher farmer support inspire of media hype. Their assorted extremist supporters have been exposed. and have no takers. In a few days they can be removed if they don’t go away. The Government is playing this well
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The arrogance of Modi and his Govt led to this chaos. Such an important bill should have been discussed and debated properly with all. But Modi rushed to take credit and got into this mess
Arrogance of Modi & his Govt??? You people criticized the NOTE BANDI too. What happened??? NOTE BANDI gave unprecedented mandate to BJP in UP-Assy-2017.
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NOTE BANDI gave a stronger mandate to Modi in LS2019.
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Modi does not have to worry or bother what creamy layer thinks. If a Law is beneficial to poorest of the poor he will implement it. No matter what others say or criticize.
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Then DISCUSS with whom? DEBATE with whom? The discredited, corrupt raskals who have made noisy pandemonium a regular feature of the Parliament.
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THE NEW FARM LAWS ARE BENEFICIAL TO THE 500+ Million Farmers of India That is aequate.
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MODI DOES NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT WHAT THE VINAY GAUTAM or PGurus HAVE TO SAY
This is nothing new, be it CAA, Hathras and many other issues, BJP is unable to connect properly. Were they sleeping? Did they not know that before lockdown Shaheen Bagh was happening and after lockdown some sort of protest would have happened. Creating anarchy is the only tactic that Congress will play now that they are being run by leftists.
Govt. should have run campaigns after the passage of farm bills to convince farmers. There should have been interactions. But its all water under the bridge now. I think this Bandh is a good break, which will tell farmers that they don’t have wide appeal among people for this cause. This might convince them to accept the offered deal. Govt. has already started arresting elements who are funding these protests, so this will also help.
But, most important thing is to SACK I&B minister (javdekar). He is the most incompetent minister on this planet. Put someone who is competent and aggressive. Govt. can’t just feed channels with money and then allow them to spread rumors in the disguise of public opinion, free speech, public concern, etc.
The agitations are by rich and fat so called farmers of Punjab. Modi needs to do more for agriculture reforms by
1. Repealing of ceiling laws
2. Winding up FCI
3. Removal of fertiliser subsidies and allowing free imports of fertilisers
4. Allowing easy formation of producer companies and farmer cooperatives
5. Promoting food processing industries by giving proper incentives