Agrarian issues not a part of political discourse: Farmers

Amritsar, February 16

Even as the year-long agitation at Delhi borders just ended and farmers were able to get the three controversial agriculture related laws repealed, most of them feel that the key issues of the agrarian crisis were not even being discussed during the elections.

Farmers said issues such as the availability of canal water for irrigation, uninterrupted power supply for tubewell connections and timely availability of necessary fertilisers were nowhere to be heard.

“Every political party, including those claiming to be contesting from the farmers’ side, is talking about what people will get for free if they are voted to power. Nobody is telling people what they will do for bettering their lifestyle, health, education and society,” rued Harpreet Singh, a young farmer.

Another farmer Jagpreet Singh said: “Most political leaders are busy making derogatory remarks and calling each other names. Even those who claim to bring a change are indulging in mudslinging.”

Farmers said they face acute shortage of DAP fertiliser at the time of sowing of wheat crop. “It happens frequently and it allows shopkeepers to sell the commodity in black. This time, people brought the DAP bag costing Rs1,200 at a price of Rs1800,” said Parshotam Singh, demanding that politicians must promise a better system and not freebies.

Talking about the freebies to farmers in terms of free electricity for tubewells, they said at the time when free power was given, none of the farmer bodies had demanded it.

“People wanted enough power supply for tubewells. Rajinder Kaur Bhattal was the CM then. She announced to give free power to farmers with less than seven acres of land if she was voted to power again. Competing with the Congress, SAD announced to give free power to all tubewells,” said an elderly Joginder Singh.

Protest PM’s state visit, burn effigy

Tarn Taran: Farmers and other mass organisations on Wednesday protested the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Punjab and burnt his effigies at certain places in the district. Members of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, Punjab, took out a protest march in Tarn Taran and Jhabal. The leaders said though the Prime Minister had accepted farmers’ demands to end the ‘morcha’ in Delhi, he had not implemented them till date. The cases registered against farmers had not been withdrawn, compensation to the families who died in the agitation was not paid and various other demands were also not fulfilled, they said. The protesters said the Prime Minister had no right to come for canvassing in Punjab to appeal to the residents to support the BJP candidates. Members of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) also protested in Jhabal, and burnt the effigy of the PM. OC