Upcoming Assembly elections in five states, including agriculture-dominated Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, cornered the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance government to acquiesce on agitating farmers' demands. However, trust deficit marks the communication between the government and the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) leaders.
The SKM insists on written assurances from the government on official letterhead, while the latter wants them to lift their siege of Delhi before their demands are met in principle. The issue of mandatory payment of minimum support price (MSP) for 23 notified farm commodities remains a sticking point to be discussed in a committee to be set up. The only consolation for the SKM is that the government agreed to include their representatives on the panel.
However, the letter of proposals sent to the SKM on December 9 by the Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, Sanjay Agarwal, is vague on specifics. It sets no time frame within which the issues will be resolved. While talking about the withdrawal of cases against farmers during the agitation, it does not mention the Republic Day and Lakhimpur Kheri incidents, which are contentious issues.
Similarly, after first dismissing outright the demand for relief to families of over 700 farmers who lost their lives during the agitation, the official letter said that states had agreed to pay but did not mention the quantum of compensation. The Congress-ruled Punjab government, whose term ends early next year, has declared a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each, and it can be assumed that other states will follow suit. The ball has been nudged into the states' court.
On the amendments to the Electricity Act, the government has gone back on its assurance given to SKM representatives during their initial 11 rounds of talks in November-December 2020 that the amendments regarding privatisation of distribution of power will be withdrawn. On the contrary, the government listed the amended Bill for discussion during the ongoing winter session of Parliament. However, the Union secretary's proposal to the SKM says that the government will consult stakeholders, including farmers, before amending the Act.
Ever since Parliament repealed the three contentious reforms-oriented farm laws on November 29, the SKM has raised the pitch for mandatory payment of the MSP, which was an issue flagged from the beginning. The MSP is a major instrument of the agriculture price policy of the government and is a safety net for farmers against price fluctuations, climate vagaries and market glut. The government procures farmers' produce for its central pool and gives them a guaranteed price and assured procurement under the State Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee Act. Farmers bemoan that without legal guarantees, state/government agencies set lower procurement targets and pay lower prices than the declared MSP to farmers, especially small and marginal farmers who lack storage facilities.
There is no doubt that the forthcoming Assembly elections have triggered the government's latest move. However, it still refuses to meet farmer leaders to iron out differences and bring clarity on either side's understanding of the issues.
As far as Punjab is concerned, the BJP is a distant fourth party in the fray, and according to political analysts, it is likely to remain so. Punjab farmers are peeved at how they were treated and at the loss of their colleagues during the agitation.
In Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party has already stitched an alliance with the Rashtriya Lok Dal, which will give it an upper hand in western UP. Even otherwise, in UP, which accounts for nearly half of the farming population, peasants are unhappy over the MSP issue hanging fire.
Farmer leaders do not expect much to come out of the proposed MSP committee, which they feel will obfuscate the matter and put the issue on the backburner once the farmers withdraw from Delhi's borders. The report of a similar internal committee set up in the Agriculture Ministry during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government did not see the light of the day. Political will seems to be lacking on this issue.
The only gain, and a major one at that, is that farmers have united under the umbrella of the SKM and have created a historical platform for themselves with farm women as equal partners.
So the result for farmers is that they are back to square one, and the government's target of doubling farmers' income by 2022, which is barely three weeks away, remains a distant goal.
For now, the government proposals are a face-saver for farmers to end their agitation.
(Gargi Parsai is a senior journalist based in New Delhi)
Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.
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