In this compelling video, farmers’ leader Vijay Jawandhia from Nagpur’s Vidharbha region critiques the Modi government’s record on farmer promises and explores whether the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) can turn the tide for the beleaguered agriculture sector.
Join us for this essential conversation, featuring an exclusive introduction by Teesta Setalvad.
Don’t miss this opportunity to gain insight into the pressing issues facing Maharashtra’s farmers!
Transcript
Teesta Setalvad : Sir we like to know from you about the entire crisis in Maharashtras particularly given both the regional imbalance in Maharashtra and the fact that election are coming just around the corner 22 days away. What should be the immediate intervention and the middle and long term?
Vijay Jawandhia : Actually when you talk about the agricultural crisis, it is the crisis of all India, Though, according to Constitution of India, Agriculture is a State Subject the solution to crisis in agriculture is not only with state, a solution lies with Centre because of the 1991 new Economic policies of globalisation privatisation and world trade.
Everything –decisions of policy etc—are with the Centre, not only with the state. So if at all the agriculture crisis of Maharashtra is to be discussed, it must be in the background of the policies of the central government regarding agriculture.
After Modi became prime minister (2014), instead of solving the problems of the farmer, problems have become more critical. While Manmohan Singh started the process of liberalisation in 1991, but I think he realised later that the gap between the rural and urban economy has increasing (and is untenable). He realised this because he is an economist, less a politician and even less an academic. I think because of the many interventions by P Sainath and people like that that Manmohan Singh realised that the gap between the rural and urban economy is increasing.
Between UPA I and II in election year, 2008, he took 3 major decisions to bridge this gap of urban and rural of divide. He realised that there is an urgent need to pump money into rural economy and so he took three major decisions. He had already given Rs 40,000 crores for the implementation of MNREGA throughout the country in the first budget in 2005. Thereafter, he took the next decision to give loan waiver to the tune of Rs 70000 crore for all farmers of India. This ensured that money was pumped in the rural economy.
Then in 2008 in one stroke in one year he (implementing the recommendations of the MS Swaminathan Commission on MSP), he increased the MSP of all the crops from 28 percent 50 percent. In one stroke in one year, he raised Minimum Support Price (MSP), as per the MS Swaminathan Commsision recommendations from 28 per cent to 50 per cent for all crops. Even Manmohan Singh could not continue these policies in UPA II. That advantage was taken by Narendra Modi who campaigned for his own prime ministership saying that the policies of the Manmohan Singh government amounted to “mar jawan, and mar kisan”When I come to power, I will give you 50 percent profit old all the cost; that was his campaign of 2014.
The moment he became Prime Minister, he immediately (turned turtle). On affidavit to the Supreme Court, he argued that this kind of pricing (was untenable) because it will distort market. Then he kept contradicting himself, going back on his own promises.
Aur uske baad wo khud ki hi baton ko ulate gaye. Hum isko dekh sakte hain, ki unhone ye kaha, phir unhone kaha ki main kisano ki aamdani dugani karunga, kaise karenge malum nahi hain uska kuch. Uska abhi tak kuch jawab nahi hain. Phir unhone kisano ke liye kaha ki main PM kisan Sanman Nidhi de raha hoon 6000 rupaye’ that was also a distortion. Wo bhi distortion tha. Unhone mukhyamantrion ko Shivraj Singh Chauhan, Raman Singh ko chitthiya likhi ki aap jo bonus deke kharidi karte ho wo band kar do. Main isko isliye ye baat keh raha hoon ki yeh aaj ke sthiti mein Maharashtra ke liye bhi bahot jaruri hai jo Modi bonus dene ka virodh kar rahe the, main baki ki baton ko taal deta hoon. This is crucial for Maharashtra now. The Modi that was opposing bonus then, this time during the Rajasthan, MP and Chhattisgarh elections (Vidhan Sabha) he asserted bonus.
Par jo Modi bonus dene ka virodh kar rahe the apne Mukhyamantrion ko likh rahe the wohi Modi ne is samay ke Vidhan Sabha ke chunav mein aap dekhiye isko underline kijiye. Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, aur Rajasthan ke vidhansabha chunav ka samay. Modi ji ne kya kaha ki Chattisgarh mein Baghel aapko RS 3100 dhan ka daam de raha hai main 3200 dunga. That is 30% above MSP of padi (rice). Madhyapradesh, Rajasthan mein kaha ki main aapko 20% bonus deke 2700 rupaye mein gehu kharidi karunga. Diya ke nahi diya. Maine usi samay unko likha ki aap desh ke Pradhan Mantri ho –Modi ki guarantee de rahe ho –in rajyon mein aap to desh ke Pradhan mantri ho. Phir ye jo Modi ki guarantee hai gehu ko aur dhan ko baki ke fasalo ko kyu nahi dete ho? Why don’t you increase the prices of all crops by the same 20-30 per cent?
Aur baki ke fasalo ko 20% 30% daam badha kar aap de doge to aap jo Swaminathan ko Bharat Ratna de rahe ho unka jo C2+ 50% hai wo bhi implement hoga. Swarg mein unki Aatma ko Sshanti milegi. I have written this to him also. And to our Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister also (Maharashtra). Mujhe aisa lagta hai ki aaj ke jamane ki aaj ki sthiti mein Maharashtra ke kisano ko agar madad karni hai aur khaas kar ke Marathwada aur Vidarbha ke kisano ko then cotton farmer and soyabean farmer must get 20% above the MSP. And that guarantee should be given by Narendra Modi or if not by Narendra Modi, should be given by Sharad Pawar and Mahavikas Aghadi.
Then and only then can the farmer survive in Maharashtra.
I am saying this because aaj dekhiye aaj kya ho raha hai: inhone maar khaya loksabha mein, Modi ne, use thode se hoshiyar ho gaye wo. Ab wo soyabean ke liye kya keh rahe hain ki humne import duty badha dee hai khaane ke tel par ki. Aur khane ke tel par ki import duty badha di hain, uske karan ab kisano ko soyabean ke acche daam milenge. Shivraj Singh Chauhan (union Agriculture minister) is now and then praising Modi ki dekho kisano ke liye kitna bada kaam kar rahe hain, aisa ho gaya waisa ho gaya hain.
Aapko yaad hoga ki Shivraj Singh Chauhan ko Madhya Pradesh ke kisano ne raste par roka tha aur wo ruke bhi the aur unhone phir se wohi jhuti baat kahi ki humne impute duty badha di gayi hain. Ab aapko ache daam milne wale hain, hum 4892 rupaye jo MSP hain soyabean ki uspe kharidne wale hai aur 25% ki jagah hum jyada kharidenge vagere vagere.
Main aapko batata hoon ki isse kisano ko daam jyada mil rahe hain, par wo kitne mil rahe hain 4200, 4300, 44,000 rupaye mil rahe hain. MSP bhi nahi mil rahi hain. Aur jo Madhya Pradesh ka kisan 6000 rupaye maang raha hain wo bhi mil nahi sakta. Uska main karan kya hain soyabean ke daam ye khane ke tel par nirbhar nahi hain. Soyabean ke daam ye DOC jo uski export hoti hain uss par nirbhar thi. Aur aaj DOC ke daam hee nahi badh rahe hai
Maine Shivraj Singh Chauhan ji ko chitthi likhi hain uss mein saaf likha hain ki aap kisano ko gumrah kar rahe hain. Jhuta bol rahe hain aap. Soyabean ko 6000 rupaye jo Madhya Pradesh ka kisan daam mang raha hain wo tab tak ke nahi mil sakte jab tak ke Rs 5000 quintal DOC ka daam nahi hota hain.
The Oil Cake DOC, jo soyabean mein ka tel nikalne ke baad jo bachata hain jisko hum dhep bolte hain ya khali bolte hain jo animal husbandry mein istemaal hota hain, ya poultry mein istemaal hoti hain. Aur wo isliye nahi mil sakti, kyu ki duniya ke bazaar mein DOC ko daam hi nahi hain. Hamare desh mein DOC ko daam milte the. Uska karan tha hum GM DOC ki dhep import nahi karne dete the. Main aapko kehta hoon ki Yavatmaal zille ke ek market committee mein vyapari aur kisano mein maramari ho gayi. Usne mujhe encourage kiya ki main Shivraj Singh Chauhan ko chitthi likhu. That pushed me to write a letter to Shivraj isngh Chouhan,
Teesta Setalvad :- Ye kab ki baat hai Sir?
Vijay Jawandhia :- Ye abhi ki baat hai 15 din pehle ki, Kyo jhagda hua malum hain, vo kisan vyapari ko kya bolta hain 150 rupaya liter khane ka tel ho gaya. Kyuki ye BJP wale prachar kar rahe hai na Modi se leke, Shivraj Singh Chauhan se sab log ki humne khane ke tel pe impute duty lagayi, ab tel ke daam badh gaye, uske daam milenge aapko. Wo bolta hain 150 rupaya tel ho gaya. Aap soyabean ko daam nahi de rahe ho. Kuch saal pehle Rs 100 per litre was the DOC cost, then soya bean farmers got their price. Today farmers are battling traders in rural Maharashtra. The farmer has no idea of the correlation between the price of DOC that was earlier Rs 100 per litre and today is at nothing. How does the poor Indian farmer know that in the world market the price of soya beans has dropped from 16 dollars per bushel to 10 dollars per bushel.He does not know that the prices which were 450-500 dollar per tonne (10 quintals) is today fallen to 320-330-340 dollars per tonne. He also does not know of the games played by the Modi government that is allowing the import of GM Soya beans. Earlier we did not allow import of GM Soya beans. Nowhere in the world is non GM soya beans produced like it is here….
Teesta Setalvad :- This is the main reason?
Vijay Jawandhia :- Yes this is the main reason. If the farmer is given a better price for soya beans than import of GM soya beans will flood the market; these are cheap Rs 27/28 per kilograms. Now if in a real sense farmers must be given Rs 6,000 per quintal as they are demanding (and Devendra Phadnavis and Girish Mahajan had fooled farmers by asserting), this price must be given. MP farmers are demanding this of Shivraj Singh Chouhan, of Modi. Now this means that the 20 % -30 % bonus that is being promised to wheat and grains should also be given to soyabeans and cotton. Why now? I have written to PM Modi on this.
Listen, why am I talking about cotton prices also? Two years back farmers used to get Rs 10,000 per quintal. Then Modi was PM. Today also he is PM. Market is the same, market committee is the same. Why are prices today not even at Rs 7-7500 per quinta? Why are farmers not getting the prices they were two years ago? Now this is the reality, two years back the US market was doing well, so cotton farmers got the prices; presently the market there is down, in depression, farmers are not being given their due. Now is America going to decide price of crops? If America is going to fix the prices of agriculture produce is our country then what is the need for you to be the Prime Minister of India, Mr Modi? Why do we need an Indian government?
Politicians are deluding us, talking half-truths. There is no country in the world, not even developed capitalist democracies where farming happens without subsidies. India is the only country, in the name of technology, in the name of development, small farmers are being burdened, denied credit and subsidy. We have become an inflationary economy; Pay Commissions raise the renumeration/salaries of other sections but when it comes to the farming sector, we resent the prices due for produce to the farmers! The increase there is in geometric proportions but when it comes to wages of farm labour and prices of crops for farmers, these are in arithmetric proportion. How is this sab ka saath, sab ka vikas?
Teesta Setalvad—Thank You