It is politics aglore in the farmers’ agitation in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. If the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) have joined hands to instigate trouble in Maharashtra, in Madhya Pradesh it is the local Congress leaders who have been fomenting unrest.
Mandsaur and Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh have been strongholds of the BJP, where the Opposition seems to have joined hands to gain a foothold by inciting farmers even after Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan promised to address the grievances of the farmers. As the disturbed region falls on the border of Gujarat, Hardik Patel is allegedly instrumental in moblising disgruntled elements against the government with a large number of Muslim farmers joining hands. A video surfaced in social media clearly shows that the local Congress leader Jeetu Patwari instigating mob with abusive language. Ironically, Congress
Vice-President Rahul Gandhi
attempted to enter the troubled district on a bike with the same instigator.
Is there a massive farmers’ strike in Maharashtra? Are all farmers in the state on road holding the government responsible for their woes? Are urban Indians facing their wrath for neglecting them? Are markets bereft of usual agro-produces, fruits and milk?
Yes, if you go by the media reports and WhatsApp messages. No, if you actually take to road and be in market. The clips of farmers pouring lakhs of litres of milk on road and throwing their vegetables may make stunning visuals, but that does not portray the reality. They have captured the imagination of people – raising sympathy in some for the ever-suffering food provider of the nation. But how much has this affected the life on the ground?
Indeed, the inflow of goods is low compared to the other times. Agreed, there was a shortage of milk ever since the strike started on June 1 demanding waiving of farm loans and implementation of Dr Swaminathan Commission Report. But that has not brought life to a halt. Of the 307 APMCs in the state, 300 were operational on June 7, four had their weekly day off, while three were shut because of the ongoing agitation. Transactions were at 85 per cent of the normal level. And this is not just because of the government measures, but also thanks to the participation of farmers away from the strike.
In Nashik for example, one of the major centres of fruit and vegetable production in the state, and the biggest producer of onion in the country, APMCs in the district remained closed because Dilip Bankar, a NCP leader, is the chairman of Pimpalgaon Baswant APMC in the district. Similarly, most of the APMCs in the state are controlled by the Congress and NCP leaders. Moreover, the state government has already revoked the restriction on farmers to sell their produce only to APMC. Thus, they can sell it in open market as well.
The strike has been called by Kisan Kranti Morcha, starkly sounding similar to Maratha Kranti Morcha. The demands of both the agitations are also similar. However, going beyond the usual definition of strike, where one stops one’s work, the farmers soon started forcing others to remain away from the farming work. Police detained 50 activists of Kisan Kranti Morcha
in Nashik.
The activists were allegedly asking vendors to close their shops. According to the information provided by Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil on June 7, half of the activists, arrested during the agitation, belong to the NCP followed by those from the Shiv Sena. In Nashik alone, 678 NCP members have been arrested. The media and heavy propaganda in social media has left no stone unturned to portray the farmers in Maharashtra as being on the warpath against the state and central governments.
It is interesting to note that while most of the farmers’suicides in Maharashtra have happened in Vidarbha, the backward region with arid land, while Nashik and Ahmednagar, two affluent districts in Western Maharashtra have emerged as the nerve centres of the protest. Incidentally, these two districts are known as the bastions of Congress and NCP, for their sugarcane and plantations and having most wineries and liquor factories.
This connection of the agitation with the affluent region is very important to understand the chronology of the strike. The farmers started their strike on June 1. Immediately, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis called an emergency meeting with the farmer leaders and held late night discussions. A delegation of farmers from Puntambe village (in Ahmednagar district) had come to Mumbai to meet the CM. After four-hour long discussion, he called a press meet at about 3 am with farmer leaders in tow and announced that the leaders had agreed to withdraw strike and there should not be any violent protests against state anymore. He also announced, “The state government has also promised more reforms such as revising of milk prices to giving farmers a benefit, formation of state-level commission for agricultural costs and prices, appointment of independent observer on dairy business, setting up of more cold storages and agro-processing units, are the promises made by the state
government.”
Fadnavis also warned, “though farmers’ strike is withdrawn, the state government has agreed to withdraw cases against genuine farmers alone. Those who were non-farmers and deliberately tried to create a ruckus will not be spared”. However, this did not look acceptable to a section which was looking to “milch” the political opportunity. Fadnavis ,however, announced that the government would write off farm loans and set the deadline of 31 October for working out the modalities. About 1.07 crore farmers with less than five acres of land would be eligible for the waiver. This may satisfy a large section of farmers who was sincerely looking forward to any resolution of their distress.
Probably this is why CM Fadnavis has hardened his stand and said that the government would talk only to the protesting farmers and not others. The sheer lack of support to the agitators from farming community could be seen by the failure of the Maharashtra Bandh called on June 5. All political parties except BJP had actively participated in enforcing `bandh’ in Kolhapur, Nashik, Jalgaon, Hingoli and other places. And yet, it fizzled out. As per the government data, vehicles carrying vegetables, fruits, etc reached 149 of the total 305 Agriculture Produce Market Committees (APMCs) in the state on June 6.
Meanwhile, some factions of Shetkari Sanghatna, founded by the late Sharad Joshi, have decided to form a new 21-member coordination committee to decide the future course of agitation, said Girdhar Patil, agriculture expert and leader. Even NCP chief Sharad Pawar met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to seek a complete loan waiver for farmers in Maharashtra. However, the PM told him that the loan waiver in Uttar Pradesh was limited for that state and Maharashtra was in no financial position to do so.
In the meantime, 1,337 tempos and trucks carrying vegetables, fruits and other items reached the APMC at neighbouring Navi Mumbai. It included 343 trucks of fruits and 486 of vegetables. Prices of all commodities are stable and the government dispatched 27 milk tankers under police security via Pune-Mumbai Expressway from Kolhapur, Sangli and Satara.
(Devidas Deshpande from Pune and inputs from Agencies)
Major Demands
Minimum Support Price: MSP as recommended by the MS Swaminathan Committee, which said that MSP for crops should be at least 50 per cent more than their cost of production.
Damage cover for drought: Since Madhya Pradesh suffered two back-to-back droughts, the farmers are demanding for a package to cover losses incurred by them during the droughts.
Damage cover for demonetisation: Half of the farmers dues at Mandis should be paid in cash and the remaining via electronic transfer to bank accounts.
‘Anti-social elements provoking violence’
Bharatiya Kisan Sangh general secretary Shri Badrinarayan Chaudhary sees the hand of anti-social elements behind the violence in the name of farmers. Talking to Organiser senior correspondent Pramod Kumar in New Delhi he says the state government accepted 10 of the 13 demands of the farmers on June 4 and it needs some time to implement the points agreed upon. Excerpts:
* Why are the farmers so much agitated in Madhya Pradesh?
Famers are agitated all over the country, not in Madhya Pradesh alone, because what they get of their produces is below what they invest. The minimum support price (MSP) declared by governments is insufficient. The government sometime back offered extra bonus of Rs 250 on Arahar and Rs 425 on Moong pulses production. Motivated over it, farmers produced more pulses, but there is no arrangement for procurement of those pulses. If the farmers do not get fair price of their produces what will they do but to protest. There seems lack of coordination between different ministries. Madhya Pradesh has procured good amount of foodgrains, but in some states the situation is very pathetic. Hardly, 6 per cent farmers get the benefit of MSP.
* What are the major demands of farmers?
The major demand is to get fair price. The MSP for mustard is Rs 3700, but actually is being sold at Rs 2700 per quintal. Fact is that the cost of production for mustard is about Rs 4000 per quintal. Secondly, there is not hundred per cent utilisation of the central grants for agriculture. Since in some schemes the state governments too have to contribute, they do not utilise the central grant to save their own share. On an average around 42 per cent central grant is utilised by states. It hampers development in the farm sector. Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat have substantially increased their irrigated areas, but in most states the situation is very poor. The farmers also suffer due to wrong import-export policies.
What is the response from the MP Government?
It agreed to procure Moong at Rs 5225 per quintal and Tuhar at Rs 5050. Similarly, on cash payment in Mandis, it agreed to provide 50 per cent cash payment and transfer of rest amount in bank accounts same day. The government also agreed to procurement onion at Rs 8 per kg.
What is the stand of BKS on ‘agitated farmers’?
It seems the information about agreements with the state government was not properly spread among the farmers. The government has to be given some time to let it implement the decisions. So, the agitation had been postponed. The BKS never participates in any violent activity. We do not believe in damaging the public property during any agitation. The farmers are facing multiple issues. Hence, the BKS has been demanding special session of the Parliament. We have urged the PM and 425 MPs of different political parties in this regard. We want serious discussion in the Parliament on farmers’ issues so that there is permanent solution to their problems.
Who is behind this violence?
Some anti-social elements are playing their game. Kisan Sangh had a meeting with the Chief Minister on June 4 and the CM accepted 10 of the 13 major demands. The remaining three demands basically fall within the preview of the Centre. Even then some bad elements are trying to
disturb peace in the state and defame the farmers.
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