'Farmers will hold Modi, BJP accountable for unkept promises'

Farmers march Farmers marching to Parliament on November 30, 2018 | PTI

The farm crisis will be the most important issue in the coming Lok Sabha elections, and farmers will hold Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP accountable for their unkept promises, says Nana Patole, chairman of Kisan Khet Mazdoor Congress, a department of the AICC.

In an interview with THE WEEK, Patole criticised the Narendra Modi government for failing to convene a special session of Parliament to discuss farmers' issues.

Patole informed that the Congress would hold a farmers' rally in Delhi in February 2019, in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections. The rally will be addressed by party president Rahul Gandhi.

Excerpts from the interview:

Farmers, in large numbers, marched to the capital last week to press their demands. How important an issue will the farm crisis be in the coming Lok Sabha elections?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP will be held accountable by the farmers for not living up to their promises. The BJP came to power at the Centre and in the states having made a number of promises for the farmers and the unemployed. Not one of those promises have been fulfilled.

Be it the issue of loan waiver or increasing minimum support price, farmers have been let down by the BJP government. I was in Rajasthan recently, and I witnessed fertilisers being sold amid police bandobast. Fasal Bima Yojana will benefit the insurance companies more. It will benefit Modi's industrialist friends.

The Modi government says it has announced measures to increase the income of farmers.

The last four years have been a difficult period for farmers. If there was drought in some areas, untimely rains destroyed crops in other regions. However, the government did not give them adequate relief.

Patole with Rahul Gandhi Nana Patole being welcomed by Congress president Rahul Gandhi | Congress' Twitter account

I wrote to the prime minister, calling for a special session of Parliament to discuss farmers' issues. What happened to the Swaminathan Commission report? That should be discussed, as also issues pertaining to loan waiver and MSP.

If they [Modi government] could convene Parliament at midnight to launch the Goods and Services Tax, which has destroyed small businesses and hit the economy, why can't they call a special session to discuss farmers' issues?

How confident are you that the farmers' ire will translate into votes against the BJP?

It will be the biggest issue in these elections owing to the sheer number of farmers. Nearly 60 per cent of the people are involved in farming.

We have seen it happening in Chhattisgarh. It has happened in Madhya Pradesh, and the same will happen in Rajasthan too.

PM Modi's counter is that his government is dealing with problems left behind by the previous Congress governments.

Modi came to power by abusing the Congress. And, even now, he blames the Congress for all the problems. Even if we agree that all these issues pre-date the Modi government, he came to power with a complete majority; so, what is stopping him from fulfilling his promises? He is blaming the Congress even for the Ram Mandir. How are we stopping him from building the Ram Mandir?

Wherever the Congress has come to power, it has fulfilled its promises made to the farmers, be it Punjab or Karnataka. And you saw what they [BJP] did to farmers in Uttar Pradesh. They [farmers] were handed cheques of Rs 5 and Rs 25.

Is the Congress planning a rally in Delhi on farmers' issues in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls?

Yes. The Congress will hold a farmers' rally in Delhi in February 2019. Congress president Rahul Gandhi will address the rally. It will be an occasion to reaffirm our commitment to farmers' issues.