A ‘Lagaan’ moment

Ahead of the Bihar elections Prime Minister Modi has started talking of farmers’ welfare. In his “Man Ki Baat” address on Sunday he said: “I am ready to accept any suggestion for the well-being of farmers”. For months he had been adamant in ignoring suggestions from various quarters that the land acquisition Bill that his government was so resolutely pushing through ordinances was anti-farmer and pro-industry. It had abandoned two important aspects of the UPA's land law: consent clause and social impact assessment.  Not only that, ordinance after ordinance was issued to have the land law he wanted.  Many constitutional nuances got violated

The land Bill is stuck in the Rajya Sabha where it is being scrutinised by a joint committee. By its confrontational approach and arrogant disregard of Opposition concerns on Lalitgate and Vyapam, the Modi government invited a policy backlash in Parliament. The land issue united the otherwise divided opposition parties and the suspension of Congress MPs cemented the unity. Their glee at the government's shame-faced U-turn is understandable. 

No one, not even the hardcore supporter of the BJP, has ever accused the party of being pro-farmer. In fact, the BJP has a knack of ending up on the opposite side of the fence. During the 2014 campaign it raised farmers' expectations by promising to implement the Swaminathan commission's idea of giving farmers 50 per cent profit over input costs. After assuming office, the Modi government chose to forget it. The land Bill rubbed salt into the farmers' wounds. Already unhappy at low returns from agriculture, they poured their anger over the land Bill. Industry representatives and investors, who were irrationally exuberant when the “pro-business, pro-reform” Modi government assumed office, are a sobered lot now. For more than a year they have waited for results. They are getting impatient with the government's weakening resolve to push reforms. The coming Bihar elections have forced the Prime Minister to appear pro-farmer and pro-poor. Industrialists need to understand Modi's priorities.