Archbishop leo Cornelio has expressed concern over farmers' agitation in Madhya Pradesh. The agitation is a matter of serious concern in different districts of the State. Violence and arson have caused a lot of damage to the life of the persons and property. If this agitation is prolonged it can destroy the peace in the society and the Government. “I express my condolences to the farmers and their families who were killed in this movement,” he added.
The effects of the sparks from Mandsaur are also seen in the vicinity of Bhopal. This incident is not an accident but has been accumulated for several years. After two years of drought, there was good rainfall in 2016, due to which good crops was produced. It was a matter of happiness for the farmers running in the deficit.
Their hopes became bleak when they did not get good prices for their products. Along with that, milk suppliers were not getting good prices of milk. It has been seen that due to the brokers, the farmers were not getting the benefit. Many of the farmers have done suicides due to their losses.
And such incidents are often happening. Demonetisation also created payment problems for farmers. Cashless policy of the govt. has also increased their crisis, because most of the transactions in the agriculture sector are still in cash. But through violence and sabotage is not the means to persuade the demands of the farmers. CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan has called the representatives of the farmers for a dialogue to find solutions to their problems, is a welcome step, he added.
Archbishop further said that the Christian community of the Archdiocese of Bhopal favours peaceful methods to solve any kind of problems and it supports any peaceful initiatives. Understanding the pain of the farmers, he urges them to abandon the path of violence and resolve the matter peacefully because violence is not a solution to any problem. The farmers are the source of our daily bread for us.When the food plate is in front of us, the hard work, labour and sweat of the farmer is hidden in it.
He further stated that politicisation of these problems should be avoided. Together with different representatives of the farmers’ organisation and the administration, a favourable solution can be reached.