Agrarian distress and some cases of alleged farmers’ suicides are the poll plank of the Congress and the AAP even as the ruling SAD-BJP alliance lists a series of steps which it has taken in the last 10 years for the farmers in rural areas of the State.
Even as farming distress was acute, note ban “broke the backbone” of the farmers, Congress insisted. Soon after demonetisation, the Congress and the AAP reached out to farmers — who form a large voter base in the food bowel of the country — when the prices of vegetables crashed and blamed the BJP for their increased woes.
While severe hardships being faced by the State farmers in wake of scrapping of high denomination currency notes (Rs1,000 and Rs500) in November last year is likely to cause an irreparable damage to SAD-BJP’s poll prospects, it remains to be seen whether the farmers would go in favour of the Congress or the AAP.
Farmers’ organisations said it will take a while for them to recoup the setback due to the scrapping of the high value notes.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s demonetisation move, which was termed as a surgical strike against black money led the farmers being forced to sell their harvested paddy below MSP and also, faced difficulty to buy seeds, fertilisers, pesticides amid cash crunch,” said the AAP.
According to the 2011 census data, the total rural population in Punjab is 1.73 crore, which is 62.5 per cent of its total population and are engaged primarily in farming.
Even as BJP’s victory in civic body polls in Chandigarh, Punjab’s Capital, was seen as referendum on demonetisation decision, it is unlikely to give electoral gains to the party or its alliance, SAD, in Punjab assembly polls. During the Chandigarh municipal corporation polls, the Congress had made demonetisation a major issue, with its leaders highlighting hardships faced by the public due to the decision, however, the BJP had countered the allegations focusing on its fight against corruption and black money.
Political analysts said the BJP and Akali Dal alliance is likely to face the ire of the farming community on the issue of demonetisation as farmers in Punjab were badly hit due to the decision. The alliance is already battling a strong anti-incumbency factor in the upcoming assembly elections after having ruled for 10 straight years in Punjab.
“There is a lot of resentment among farmers, who had harvested their paddy crop and were preparing for the next Rabi season during November last. The farmers faced huge losses due to demonetisation,” Pashaura Singh, Punjab head of a faction of Bharati Kisan Union and member, Rashtriya Kisan Mahasangh told The Pioneer.
He said, “Due to cash crunch, farmers did not get money from banks or arthiyas… they did not even get their inputs cost back by selling the farm produce, which they were forced to sell on lower rates. Most of the transactions among farming community is held in cash and due to cash crunch in the past two months, the farmers faced a lot of difficulty in buying seeds, fertilisers etc.”
Blaming the SAD-BJP combine for the severe pain that demonetisation has inflicted on the agriculture sector in Punjab, Pashaura Singh said the farmers are politically charged this time and the community will give a befitting reply to the ruling Government in ensuing elections.
When asked which way the farmers vote would go this time around, he said, political parties only make promises and do nothing for the farmers. Earlier the Congress did nothing and we do not know whether to trust AAP or not, he added.
From promising farm debt waiver for small farmers to providing subsidy or special incentives, the political parties have made a series of promises to woo the farmers’ voters in Punjab. The AAP, has, in fact, released a separate “Farmers and Farm labourers Manifesto” to attract the farming community in the State.
Stating that farmers will give “vote ki chot” to the ruling SAD-BJP this time, Satnam Singh, head of Kisan Sangharsh group, Punjab said, “Demonetisation have dented farmers’ income significantly and have increased farmers’ distress in Punjab. The farming community suffered losses of thousands of crores of rupees due to the note ban decision. The entire situation led to a number of suicides by distressed farmers, who did not get money from anywhere and were unable to repay their loans.”
The farmers were compelled to stand in queues and even then, they did not get enough money. From the ruling SAD-BJP to cooperative banks or private banks, no one did anything to help the famers post demonetisation, he alleged.
Satnam Singh said, “We have given a slogan ‘Modi Kisan Virdohi’ as the BJP Government did nothing but troubled the farmers. If they wanted to implement the currency ban, they should have made adequate measures for farmers. Situation has not improved much in the past three months.”
From non-implementation of Swaminathan report to not releasing the amounts of subsidies, the BJP and its alliance, SAD has betrayed the farming community and did not fulfil its promises, he added.
In the upcoming Assembly polls, the Opposition parties — Congress and AAP — are counting on farmer’s anger against demonetisation and are likely to be benefitted even from Akali’s traditional ‘panthic’ religious vote bank in rural Punjab.
Bhagwan Dass, general secretary, young farmers association Punjab told The Pioneer the farming community is highly disappointed and even the traditional panthic’ religious vote bank of Akalis appears to be going against them this time.
During demonetisation, rules kept changing… Even as the limit to withdraw
cash was very low, farmers did not get money from the banks, he added.
On which party seems to be attracting the farming community, Bhagwan Dass said, “Farmers view AAP as a potential alternative but it remains to be seen whether they would vote for them or not.”