OPPOSITION PARTIES CUT THROUGH 'SHOOT AND SCOOT' BJP-CONGRESS FACE OFF ON FARMERS RIGHTS

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress have locked horns over the agrarian issue, with barbs and jibes between the two giving sufficient fodder to the media hungry for entertainment and headlines. Rahul Gandhi, currently on a Congress revival drive, has zeroed in on the farmers plight with a strong campaign in the states even as he stops in the Lok Sabha to directly take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The latest is Rahul Gandhi’s side remark suggesting PM Modi spends most of his time abroad, and is a “visitor” to India, and the BJP rejoinder attacking the Congress leaders “shoot and scoot” style of politics. This, of course, is a reference to his mysterious disappearances, that remain unexplained.

In the midst of the Congress versus BJP battle, the massive mobilisation of farmers taking place across the country by the regional opposition parties and the Left has escaped the notice of the media. The Janata parivar and the Left parties had taken a decision earlier not to ally with the Congress party on the agrarian issue, although occasional joint action such as the march from Parliament to Rashtrapati Bhawan earlier is not ruled out.

There is a major difference in the approach of the Congress and the other political parties taking up the issue of agrarian distress. The Congress party has left it to the leadership of Rahul Gandhi who is the sole spokesperson now against the Land Acquisition Bill and farmers suicides. As is the usual style of the Congress first family, the party is reduced to a supporting role, with scion Rahul Gandhi in the driving seat.

The Opposition on the other hand is using the campaign for farmers rights to stitch up local, regional and national alliances. A case in point is the recent rally of peasants and agricultural workers in Bangalore to reject the Modi government’s Land Acquisition Bill and assert their rights over land and water. This rally brought together 12 major organisations of peasants, Agricultural Workers, Devadasi Women Dalits, Adivasis and Small Planters that is expected to have a major impact in Karnataka. The Bhoo Adhikar Rally as it was called was inaugurated by CPI(M) General Secretary, Sitaram Yechury. This was preceded by padyatras from all over the state, in a show of strength that remained largely unreported by the so called national media.

The Janata Dal(United) has also been working hard to mobilise farmers in Bihar, along with the Rashtriya Janata Dal. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar started a series of fasts across the state, with several meetings to mobilise the farmers and land labour against the Land Acquisition Bill and build alliances with local organisations and farmers bodies. The Bahujan Samaj party has been holding rallies and protest meetings across Uttar Pradesh.

PM Modi remains adamant about not dropping the amendments to the Land Acquisition Bill. Interestingly the regional parties and the Left see little difference between the Congress and the BJP, with the former in government earning opposition flak for ignoring farmers issues. The BJP at that time had supported the opposition demands for increasing the Minimum Support Price for the farmers, that the Congress led UPA government was resisting at the time. Today the Congress party is now with the rest of the opposition in batting for the farmers, while the BJP in government is chasing an “anti-farmer” agenda.

The Modi government is silent about the compensation to the farmers who have lost the standing kharif crop to freak weather conditions. The CPI(M) has pointed out that “the consequent ruination of the peasantry strengthened the vicious cycle of the debt trap which is pushing larger number of kisans towards distress suicides.” The recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission were not implemented by the Manmohan Singh government, and have not even been raised during PM Modi’s year in power.

Instead PM Modi and his government have gone against the BJP manifesto maintaining, “Agriculture is the engine of India’s economic growth and the largest employer, and BJP commits highest priority to agricultural growth, increase in farmers income and rural development.”

It has instead : 1. Lowered increases in MSP than even the Manmohan Singh government;

2. Sent directives to state governments not to offer a support price for wheat and rice than the MSP fixed by the centre;

3. Reduced the 2015 budget outlay for agriculture by 10.4 per cent;

4. Substantially reduced the subsidies to the farmers;

5. Reduced the allocation to the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana;

The CPI(M) has pointed out that on MGNREGA, “a recent survey has shown that the work generated in 2014-15 was much less than the previous two years. This has worsened during the first three months of the current financial year. For instance, for January-March 2015, 347 million person/days of work were provided which is less than half of what was provided in 2014 and less by over 60 per cent of what was provided in 2013, for the same period. The budgetary allocation for the scheme was drastically reduced in the Modi government’s first full budget for the year 2015-16.” PM Modi has been lambasted by the entire opposition for the amendments to the

Land Acquisition Bill that deprive the farmers of their rights. The Prime Minister has made it clear to his party that the government will press ahead with the Bill, and there was no question of dropping the amendments. The Opposition has charged the government of using the Bill to facilitate acquisition of the farmers land by the corporates.