Farmers vote will decide Gujarat says Yogendra Yadav
Lack to agriculture policy & infrastructure, reduction of electricity allocation to agriculture, non-delivery of promised irrigation from Narmada Project, crash of agri prices due to Demonetisation and apathy in protecting MSP leading to repeat crash of prices in 2017 to impact BJP’s electoral prospects in Gujarat.
Success of Kisan Sansad in Delhi has proven that farmers have united in asserting their rights and sending a decisive electoral message against neglect of agrarian distress, most likely starting with Gujarat: Ajit Jha
Any government that does not care about farmers & rural India will not remain in power: Swaraj India
Newly formed political party, Swaraj India, has said that the strongest factor in the ongoing Gujarat Assembly Elections will be the vote of the Farmers of the State – irrespective of the results, the vote of the farmers will be the real winner. The Party also said that not only Gujarat but all future elections in the country will be decided by the Farmers’ vote. For the last last two years, Swaraj has been working for the cause of farmers. It has been the first political organisation to have recognised & acknowledged that farmers’ issue is the most important issue in India, electorally or otherwise. From June 2015, volunteers of Swaraj have been dedicatedly working on the concerns related to farmers and have undertaken 5 Yatras covering almost the whole country, including a 250km padyatra in the worst drought affected regions of Marathwada and Bundelkhand.
Terming the present Modi-Shah-Rupani-BJP combination as the most Anti-Farmer dispensation ever, Swaraj India President Yogendra Yadav said that the simmering anger throughout Gujarat due to the agrarian distress has united farmers, who are now asserting their democratic and electoral rights and will give a befitting answer to the systemic injustice being meted out to them.
It is shocking that the fabled Gujarat Model does not have an Agriculture Policy Document, which clearly shows the priority BJP gives to the largest section of voters of Gujarat. The long-standing promise of irrigation from Narmada Project has not been realised – out of 18 lac Hectares, only 3 lac Hectares have received water. While not delivering irrigation water, the BJP Government has rubbed salt in the wound by cutting power supply to agriculture from 10 hours to 8 hours, that too alternatively on day light and night hours, aggravating the already severe difficulties faced by farmers. The insensitivity and lack of understanding of agrarian issues by the BJP Government at the Centre and the State was exposed when demonisation was announced at a most inappropriate time – the start of the Kharif marketing season in 2016 and due to this there was all round crash in prices of agri-produce (ground-nut, cotton) and perishables like fruits (amrud, chikko) and vegetables. The surgical strike of Central Government impacted the farmers of Gujarat most – huge stocks of tomato traditionally exported to Pakistan were blocked and were sold at throw-away rates locally; the Ginning Association of Pakistan boycotted Indian cotton exported mostly from Gujarat and and price of cotton free-fell by more than 1000/- per quintal.
To make a terrible situation tragic, there has been an un-checked steep rise in prices of agri-inputs and free-fall crash in prices of crops and the BJP Governments everywhere have been mute by-standers at best and connivers at worst to the loot and pillage of the rural economy; the tremors of this deception and disruption have been felt in every village of Gujarat. Adding insult to injury, the propaganda machine of the government has been constantly sloganeering about welfare of farmers. Programs like Crop Insurance designed supposedly for welfare of farmers turned out to be windfalls for private insurance companies. All round, the BJP resorted to tokenism and propaganda to try and keep the farming community satisfied but remained negligent of the real issues – severe agrarian distress leading to mounting farmer suicides, crash in crop prices and grossly inadequate drought and flood relief.
Ajit Jha, General Secretary of Swaraj India said "It may be kept in mind that more than 50,000 Farmers from across the country recently congregated in Delhi for a historic Kisan Mukti Sansad demanding fair price for crops promised by the BJP and freedom from all types of financial debts; this should have sent a signal to all political parties but unfortunately some like BJP are still not seeing the writing on the wall and this will most likely impact the outcome of the polls in Gujarat. Success of Kisan Sansad in Delhi has proven that farmers have united in asserting their rights and agitating against neglect of agrarian distress."
Voice of the farmers has to be heard by elected governments if they wish to survive in power. In that context, Swaraj India sees the Gujarat election as a test of the farmers vote and a taste by the government of the power of that vote. More than any party losing or winning in Gujarat, the crucial lesson for all political parties will be that the farmers vote will be a decisive factor. In times to come, farmers will further flex their electoral muscle as a class and show that any government that does not care about rural India and the agrarian economy will not remain in power.
In Gujarat to campaign for the independent candidate Jignesh Mevani from Vadgam assembly seat, Yogendra Yadav said, "We’re here in Gujarat to see the uprising of a historical change, that will bring in the voice of the farmers in the mainstream of Indian politics. We are here to express solidarity with the farmers of Gujarat for the courage they are showing in standing upto the Anti-farmer government that has remained in power for 22 years by using deceit, deception and clever propaganda."
Swaraj India called upon the voters of Gujarat to reject any Government that has either not worked for or does not assure to work for the agrarian core of the Indian economy and the vast multitude of her farmers and primary producers who represent the backbone of the nation and to usher in a new era of electoral democracy where the voice of the farmers and primary producers is heard loud and clear while formulating policy and steering the economy.
Ajit Jha, General Secretary of Swaraj India said "It may be kept in mind that more than 50,000 Farmers from across the country recently congregated in Delhi for a historic Kisan Mukti Sansad demanding fair price for crops promised by the BJP and freedom from all types of financial debts; this should have sent a signal to all political parties but unfortunately some like BJP are still not seeing the writing on the wall and this will most likely impact the outcome of the polls in Gujarat. Success of Kisan Sansad in Delhi has proven that farmers have united in asserting their rights and agitating against neglect of agrarian distress."
Voice of the farmers has to be heard by elected governments if they wish to survive in power. In that context, Swaraj India sees the Gujarat election as a test of the farmers vote and a taste by the government of the power of that vote. More than any party losing or winning in Gujarat, the crucial lesson for all political parties will be that the farmers vote will be a decisive factor. In times to come, farmers will further flex their electoral muscle as a class and show that any government that does not care about rural India and the agrarian economy will not remain in power.
In Gujarat to campaign for the independent candidate Jignesh Mevani from Vadgam assembly seat, Yogendra Yadav said, "We’re here in Gujarat to see the uprising of a historical change, that will bring in the voice of the farmers in the mainstream of Indian politics. We are here to express solidarity with the farmers of Gujarat for the courage they are showing in standing upto the Anti-farmer government that has remained in power for 22 years by using deceit, deception and clever propaganda."
Swaraj India called upon the voters of Gujarat to reject any Government that has either not worked for or does not assure to work for the agrarian core of the Indian economy and the vast multitude of her farmers and primary producers who represent the backbone of the nation and to usher in a new era of electoral democracy where the voice of the farmers and primary producers is heard loud and clear while formulating policy and steering the economy.
