NDA must directly reach out to the affected
If the opposition parties continue to furiously assail the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2015, they do so in the belief that they can sell their stand to the farmers at large across the country and thus bring the Government on its knees. The NDA regime, therefore, has to battle the issue on two fronts: Parliament and among the people. Prime Minister Narendra Modi took an important step on the second front when he devoted his Sunday radio address, Mann ki Baat, to the farmers. He used the occasion to dispel misconceptions that the Opposition has been spreading about the Bill, and to demonstrate how the amended Bill is entirely in the farmers' interest. He emphasised on the quantum of compensation, which remains generous, and pointed out that the exceptions on consent and social impact assessment largely existed in the 2013 Act which the Congress-led UPA regime had brought. Mr Modi explained why the Bharatiya Janata Party, after having backed that Act, had decided to amend it after it came to power.
As usual, his arguments were forceful, and possibly a number of farmers who heard the address will discard their opposition to the Bill. But it is entirely possible that as many number of farmers will continue to cling on to the Opposition propaganda that the land acquisition Bill is designed to help the corporate sector and rob the farmers of their asset. It would make sense for the elected members of Parliament of the BJP and its allies to use the one-month House recess to fan out to their constituencies, especially the rural belt, and educate the farmers face-to-face on the benefits of the Bill. A direct dialogue on a massive scale is the best way to counter the falsehoods and also show the Government's desire to listen to those on the ground. The Prime Minister's address must be taken forward and its impact multiplied. This cannot happen merely by Government and party spokespersons holding forth in television studios. Their debating points will be useless if the people at the grassroots are not effectively persuaded to see the Bill as farmer-friendly.
There is another reason why people's representatives from the ruling combine must aggressively adopt a ‘Gaon Chalo' (reach out to villages) campaign: The massive loss farmers have suffered due to unseasonal rains in the recent weeks. The situation is especially bad in States such as Maharashtra, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Coincidentally, these also happen to be States where the Opposition has been especially strident against the land Bill. Farmers have been complaining over the inadequate compensation that State Governments have either given or indicated they will offer. The dissatisfaction is a ready excuse for the non-NDA parties to latch on and reiterate their claim about the Centre being ‘anti-farmer'. If the Modi Government can effectively and quickly tackle the distress situation farmers are facing across the country (even leading to the tragic consequence of suicides in some villages) due to nature's vagary, it will have greater ease and credibility in convincing farmers on the merits of the land Bill. Both efforts should go hand in hand.