Nothing for farmers in BJP manifesto: Samyukt Kisan Morcha

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 15

The BJP manifesto for the 2024 poll, released as ‘Modi ki Guarantee’, has no mention of the MSP formula (C2+50%) as recommended by the Swaminathan Commission, guarantee on procurement, farmers’ suicides and loan waiver, said an official statement released by Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) today.

“The manifesto says ‘it will continue to increase the MSP from time to time’ without any reference to inflation... In the context of the countrywide farmers’ struggle, the BJP manifesto’s silence on the acute agrarian crisis is very significant. Other political parties in their election manifesto have been categorical on the agrarian crisis and the need for the remunerative MSP as recommended by the Swaminathan Commission among others,” said the SKM.

The SKM also decried the PM Samman Nidhi amount of Rs 6,000 per year, which is a meagre Rs 500 per month to a farming household. “Though 1,00,474 farmers and 3,12,214 daily earners have committed suicide from 2014 to 2022, the Modi government did not provide debt relief of a single rupee to farmers and farm workers despite the promise BJP made in the 2014 manifesto,” it said.

It further said during the past nine financial years under the Modi rule —from 2014-15 to 2022-23 — the scheduled commercial banks have written off an aggregate loan amount of Rs 14.55 lakh crore of the corporate houses. “And in the election manifesto 2024, the BJP is silent on the serious issue of agrarian crisis when 30 farmers’ suicide happens daily across India”.

“Without reversing the pro-corporate policy of ‘Vikasit Bharath’ and ensure remunerative price to farmers and minimum wage to farm workers and freedom from indebtedness thus, end the agrarian crisis, the Modi guarantee will only facilitate ‘vikas’ for corporates and cause widespread suicides of farmers and farm workers. The SKM considers the BJP’s election manifesto as an open challenge to farmers and farm workers across India,” said the statement.

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