Kisan Kranti Padyatra: Modi Govt is Anti-farmer, It’ll Bite the Dust in 2019 Polls, Says BKU

Thousands of farmers – who were lathicharged and teargassed after water cannons failed to subdue them on October 2 – rejected the Narendra Modi-led Central government’s assurances, and vowed to continue the protest to ensure it “bites the dust” in the 2019 general elections.

Led by the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) — an organisation working for protection of the interests of farmers — ‘Kisan Kranti Padyatra’, which was started on September 23, ended at the Kisan Ghat — the memorial of former Prime Minister Charan Singh — in Delhi, in the wee hours of October 3. The Centre allowed the protesting farmers to enter the city with an aim to end the day-long standoff with the police personnel.

Declaring it as the “victory of farmers”, BKU chief Naresh Tikait said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government has failed in its “motives”. “This government is anti-farmers, and we were successful in sending out this message to the nation. The government will get a fitting reply in 2019 (when Lok Sabha polls will be held),” he told Newsclick, adding that their major demands were not met, and that they will continue to demand their rights. 

BKU media coordinator Dharmendra Kumar said that the protest march was aimed at making farmers aware of their rights, and conveying a message to the government to address the issues being faced by farmers.

“We are not satisfied with the assurances given by the government, although we have reached consensus at many points. This is now crystal clear that the government of the day is anti-farmers. It only wants to indulge in propaganda in the name of farmers. We wanted to expose the Modi government and its tall claims, and it happened. Now, the farmers of the country have accepted that the government is anti-farmers. We are happy that we could expose the government and its policies. And therefore, we are claiming success,” he said, resolving that they will continue their protest and press the government to fulfill their demands.

“If the government does not budge, it will have to bear the brunt in 2019. The history is witness to the fact that farmers have played an important role in unseating those at the helm of power. The agrarian society has always played its role in government formation, but has always been deceived by political parties. We elect the government to power but the policies are made keeping in mind interests of corporate houses,” alleged Kumar.

The government – he said – was not even ready to listen to the farmers of Gujarat – PM Modi’s home state – who were asking for bringing farm-related products under five per cent bracket of Goods and Services Tax (GST). After this protest, the government had to bow down and accept the demand.

He demanded linking the agriculture sector with the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) in a way that the rural employment scheme has also been accepted. “The government has assured us that [report by] the committee which has been formed to look into the demand will have representatives farmers’ and their suggestions, will be implemented,” he said.

The government has formed a seven-member committee of chief ministers to examine the feasibility of the idea, and the way to implement it. The committee would examine the feasibility of using the employment generated under the MNREGA in agriculture-related activities both pre-harvest and post-harvest.

The committee, headed by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and comprising his counterparts Mamata Banerjee from West Bengal, Vijay Rupani from Gujarat, Nitish Kumar from Bihar, Yogi Adityanath from Uttar Pradesh, N. Chandrababu Naidu from Andhra Pradesh and Pawan Chamlin from Sikkim has, been notified on October 1.

Under MNREGA, the Central government has to provide at least 100 days of guaranteed employment involving unskilled manual work in a financial year to every household in rural areas, as per demand.

Regarding the demand for a change in Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna (PMFBY) and introduction of a ‘kisan corpus fund’ with the insurance premium amounts payable by the Centre, state and farmers, Kumar said that the government has given the assurance to form a committee under the headship of Gajendra Singh Sekhawat (minister of state for agriculture). “The committee will also have our people who will suggest the changes in the PMFBY, and ensure of the much-publicised scheme. “We have also called for covering the loss caused by the wild animals, in the scheme,” he explained.

The government – he said – has agreed to file review petition in the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to revoke the ban on 10-year-old diesel vehicles (tractors). “We will file a review petition in the green tribunal, and state government will also go for it,” he added.

Extension of minimum support price (MSP) providing 50 per cent profit over the production cost to all notified Rabi crops, boosting procurement system were among the other assurances. “But the government is silent on our demand for loan waiver. Also, it said that fixation of MSP based on ‘C2+50’ input factor as per the MS Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations will be done only in future. The government is adamant on A2+FL formula, which we reject. We will agree to nothing less than the Swaminathan committee’s recommendation to fix the MSP for crops at levels at least 50 percent more than the weighted average cost of production,” he said.

There are three formulas of fixing the production: A2, A2+FL and C2.

A2 costs basically cover all paid-out expenses, both in cash and in kind, incurred by farmers on seeds, fertilisers, chemicals, hired labour, fuel, irrigation, etc. A2+FL cover actual paid-out costs plus an imputed value of unpaid family labour. C2 costs are more comprehensive, accounting for the rentals and interest forgone on owned land and fixed capital assets respectively, on top of A2+FL.

With regard to the policy measures aimed at providing profitable prices to farmers based on the production cost of the crops, said Kumar, the government has given the assurance that it will purchase the agricultural produce for a period of 90 days. “It has also been assured that the budget for the same would be increased by three times to Rs 47,000 crore, as against the budget allocated last year. But there is no word on the demand that buying and selling crops below MSP be made an offence, which is disappointing,” he added.

Asked if the government will be able to walk the talk, Kumar said the farmers don’t trust majority of the assurances as such words have been given earlier as well, but nothing happened so far. “Though we don’t trust the government anymore, it will have to fulfill the promises. Otherwise, the ruling party should be ready to face the defeat,” he concluded.

About the violence that occurred and the use of force by police, the BKU leader said that the government and its police are solely responsible for what had happened. “Why the farmers were stopped from entering the national capital? Where will go to ask for our rights? The police used violent force against us as if we were intruders. Our protest was peaceful till we reached Delhi borders. It was made violent by not letting us enter into the city. It was a conspiracy of the BJP to delegitimise our protest, and give a message that farmers are violent and anti-nationals. We want to tell the ruling party and its leaders – who on TV news channels are spitting venoms against us – that we don’t need certificates of nationalism from you. We are ‘anna data’ who are asking for rights and we will continue to do the same,” he concluded.