Farmers of MP are angry and disturbed The CM of U.P in a move to placard farmers announced loan waiver for his farmers. It has spread in other States for being discriminated against .It is rational that farmers in every state must get the same facility and consideration not based on poltical expediency. The farmers in Maharashtra, Madras, Gujarat elsewhere are up in arms ..It is noted that MP has the best record in agriculture produce and income in comparison with rest of India. If the C.M of M.P claims that in spite of agreement and understanding with the farmers why they have resorted to violent protest and agitation that has engulfed the State? Further to allege that non representative union of farmers is spreading the agitation is ludicrous, as seen from mass support. The spark was ignited by police firing that killed 4 of them with injuries in the chest region .The State Govt went on denial mode and finally accepted responsibility for police access. It was too late by shifting blame on Congress instigation, The damage was done, the anger burst into flames and destruction. Holding Congress and others for inciting the fire makes no justification, unless the farmers were a disgruntled lot nursing a deep grievance. Now the CM of M.P is on a fast until normalcy returns. It is a hypocritical attitude and a nonsense act to hog the limelight to deflect , trivialise a serious issue of law and order . The genuine problems of farmers with respect to inputs, loans, irrigation , power supply, remunerative prices, insurance, subsidies, procurement, drought, storage facilities, transportation. artificial glut must be addressed as whole, as a, matter of policy on all India basis. To state that Agriculture is a state subject, when the centre controls wide spectrum of regulations. Loan waiver is not the only solution, In fact many take agricultural loans, simply to profit by a waiver later. .When industrialists, business man defraud the banks of crores of rupees, can the farmers be faulted as the only culprits of dishonesty? Look at the alarming statistic of farmers suicides in every state treated in a shoddy manner. Have we heard of any suicides by business tycoons, who simply fly out and take shelter in foreign country, while banks write of huge loans as non performing assets and unrecoverable. If the farmers cannot feed the workers in Industry it is a disaster waiting to happen. If the uneducated farmers were conscious of calculating percentage of profits with respect to income and expenditure at the vagaries of nature, they should have abandoned the profession long ago. The fact that most of the illiterate Indian population is involved in agriculture as the only profession they know, should have drawn the attention of the authorities. The Govt by strange logic determines the cost of agriculture prices. Does the Govt undertake such an exercise with industrial products costing and will they accept such an exercise and interference?. It is not enough to declare agriculture income as non taxable, because the bulk of subsidies are cornered by politicians to hide income by indulging in agriculture as a getaway passtime of profitability for un accounted income. The fodder scam is one such a best example Any guess why polticians are inti agriculture ?The marginal farmers and they constitute the majority are a disadvantaged lot, unable to secure their rights of entitlement
Nelson Lopes Chinchinim
