Haryana polls | Cornered, BJP reaches out to farmers to reap poll harvest

The ruling BJP’s below-par performance in the Lok Sabha elections and the challenges it faces in the Haryana Assembly polls have led it to realise that it can’t afford to be in perpetual tussle mode with the farmers.

Now, in an apparent course correction, the Union government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has decided to hold weekly meetings with different farmer organisations and resolve their problems before it causes any more political and electoral damage to the BJP.

Taking the first step in this direction, the Centre held meetings with farmer organisations and also a separate meeting with Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS), an affiliate of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of the BJP.

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The government has entrusted Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan with the responsibility of finding a solution to the farm crisis that is challenging the ruling party in both Haryana and Maharashtra polls. The government is hoping that a solution to the farmers’ issues will be amicably reached, as a dialogue with them has already been initiated.

Key demands

Among the key demands of the farmer outfits is to alter the formula for the minimum support price (MSP) of crops in the country. They have demanded that the Union government should include cost of production with at least 50% profit as the new MSP.

“If the Centre wants farmers and farming to survive in the country, then it has to change the way the MSP is calculated. We have suggested that the new formula must have cost of production and at least 50% profit. If this formula is applied across the country, then farmers will be able to sustain farming otherwise they will continue to suffer,” Dharmendra Malik, national spokesperson of Bharatiya Kisan Union Arajnaitik, told The Federal. He was part of the delegation that met Chouhan and is holding talks with the government.

“The farmers who were part of the meeting with the agriculture minister also demanded that the government must formulate a mechanism to intervene in the market when prices drop. If the government ensures that it will intervene and help keep prices stable only then the farmers will reap profit in the market,” he said.

Crop insurance

According to Malik, most farmers said that even if the government agrees to include cost of production and 50% profits in the MSP, it may not be enough for their survival. “This formula is the starting point, and it is possible that farmers may continue to face difficulties even after its implementation,” said Malik.

During the discussion with the government, the farmers also conveyed to Chouhan that they were not pleased with the government's Fasal Bima Yojana and that the central scheme needs some urgent drastic changes to become “farmer-friendly.”

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“The impact of climate change is affecting crops. The farmers are unhappy with the Fasal Bima Yojana. We have told the government that the crop insurance premium should be paid by Centre and the state governments and not by farmers,” he added.

The farmers, who took part in the meeting, also demanded a 15-year policy document from the Union government on agriculture produce so that they can plan their crops accordingly without any fear of change in policy that may impact their income in the future.

Pro-govt farmers?

While the government is reaching out to some of the farmer groups, it is being accused of only talking to the “friendly organisations”.

Several prominent organisations working with farmers, like Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), and Bharatiya Kisan Union (Bhagat Singh), the group protesting on the Delhi border, have so far not received an invite from the government for talks.

“We have heard that the government is holding talks, but we have not received any invite so far. We have been protesting for a long time, but the government hasn’t stepped forward to conduct a dialogue. The government is only talking to groups tilted towards it,” Tezveer Singh, national spokesperson of BKU (Bhagat Singh), told The Federal.

BKS helping govt

Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS), an affiliate of RSS, is guiding the Centre to navigate the path that may lead to resolution of farm issues.

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In its meeting with the agriculture minister, BKS asked the government to increase the amount given to farmers under the Kisan Samman Nidhi. “There is no immediate solution to deal with the problems farmers face. We have asked the government to increase the amount of PM Kisan Samman Nidhi. The government must also take steps to control the cost of production. We have asked it to ensure GST on agricultural goods is slashed, as it will bring down the cost of production,” Mohini Mishra, national general secretary of BKS, told The Federal.

To further iron out the differences, BKS has suggested to the government that the import duty on soybean, coconut, and mustard oilseeds be increased. In the last couple of weeks, the government has increased the import duty on the three oilseeds so that domestic farmers benefit and imports are reduced.