The BJP-led government’s handling of the ongoing farmers’ unrest and job cuts has earned the criticism of not just the Opposition, but from the offshoots of its ideological mentor the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
The labour and the farmer’s wing of the RSS, the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) and the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS) have blamed the government for failing to stem farm and services sectors crises and for allowing the government think tank NITI Aayog to steer policy towards reliance on foreign direct investment.
Both the organisations want the government to revisit its economic and agriculture policies, moving away from FDI and disinvestment, and most importantly not accepting the “anti-farmer and anti-labour” suggestions of NITI Aayog.
The BKS is circumspect about the famers’ protest in Mandsaur where five persons were killed in police firing following violence. It has cautioned the government that unless quick measures such as minimum support price are offered, the agrarian crisis would worsen.
The Kisan Sangh says it’s members are not part of the ongoing stir. It says farmers affiliated to the Sangh are “angry”, but have not “indulged in any violence”.
“Farmers are paying as much as Rs 1.50 lakh for a kg of papaya seeds, which can only be used once. States are bickering over water sharing while farmers continue to struggle to irrigate their farms, debts are mounting because produce is being sold at prices far lower than the investment,” Badri Narayan Chaudhry, national general secretary of the BKS told HT.
The farmers’ wing has slammed the government for failing to offer minimum support price to farmers and continuing to export food grains and pulses even though there has been a bumper harvest in the country.
“They made big announcements about MSP and a bonus for increased production, but farmers are being forced to sell at low price that is pushing them into debt. There is no coordination between the ministries of agriculture and commerce and consumer affairs, food and public distribution,” said BKS vice-president Prabhakar Kelkar.
Source: HindustanTimes