Agrarian Distress Mounts, Opposition Distances itself from BJP and Congress

NEW DELHI: Agrarian distress is spreading across the states, with farmers protests dotting the landscape far away from media eyes. The large scale opposition both in and outside Parliament to the Land Acquisition Bill being chased aggressively by the Modi government is now being added to by the massive damage to crops because of the unseasonal rains with at least 14 states having reported this on an extensive scale so far.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet has passed the Ordinance to give effect to the Land Acquisition legislation as the Bill, while passed by the Lok Sabha, is not being accepted by the Rajya Sabha. At the same time the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, taking a lead from the Prime Minister’s strong defence of the provisions in his ‘mann ki baat’ speech is trying to convince farmers that the Ordinance is not against their interests as is being propagated. Clearly the campaign has so far not had the decided impact with farmers protesting under different banners right across Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, Haryana and now even Karnataka and the southern states.

The perception that the legislation will allow the government to acquire their land with ease has alienated the once powerful Bharatiya Kisan Union that has been taking the lead to bring farmers to Delhi in protest as well.

Initial estimates placed the damage to the crops by hailstorms and unseasonal rains in north India at 181 lakh hectares of standing crop. The government is now trying to scale down the figure, that has now drawn a barrage of protest. Nitish Kumar’s government in Bihar has strongly objected to the badgering by the central government to scale down the affected areas. The CPI(M) has sounded the alarm, pointing out that 14 states--Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh,Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Telangana,Bihar , Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh---have been seriously impacted.

The then Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, according to a statement by the CPI(M), had admitted in the last year of the UPA government that the minimum support price decided by the central government grew at a lower rate that the growth of the cost of production as estimated by the Central Bureau of Agricultural Costs and Prices. And that for the first time since independence there has been an absolute decline in the total sown area for the kharif crop.

The farmers distress , manifesting itself in suicides particularly in Maharashtra under Congress rule, is increasing with the Land Bill being a unifying factor. The Congress is trying to take the lead and is planning a major rally to be led by Congress president Sonia Gandhi and scion Rahul Gandhi if he returns from wherever he has disappeared to. However, given its past record it might not find the going so easy with the BJP under PM Modi hammering it for acts of omission and commission against the farmers. The Prime Minister has attacked the Congress for farmers suicides, promoting agrarian distress, and for bringing in the Land Acquisition Bill in a ‘hurried” and “anti-farmer’fashion.

The other opposition parties, have thus decided to move away and carry out an campaign independent of the Congress,against the Bill and for the rights of the farmers.The Janata parivar that is on the verge of a merger, has placed farmers on top of the agenda and made it very clear that its position will question both the BJP and the Congress on this issue. As a result other political parties like the Biju Janata Dal, and Trinamool Congress might join the farmers platform that will resonate outside Parliament.