The New Agricultural Bills

The outrage of farmers came to light when the new agricultural bills were passed without consulting the opposition or consent. These are the small, big incidents that tell us India is slowly turning into a fascist state, forgetting the democracy, secularism that has given it prosperity after independence and a reputation.

I have a mixed view about the agricultural bill, I believe it can be good for farmers if the MSP stays, otherwise they will become a food for rich industrialists. If the MSP stays PERMANENTLY they will be able to bargain with the industrialists and have a better price maybe, the ones they are getting now I mean.

What is MSP? It is the minimum price that government sets for crops after judging every investment direct or indirect by the farmers and buys it from farmers if they want to sell it to them. That way they are saved from getting exploited to the extreme. This thing should always stay in India. We would rather have our government protecting our farmers. They certainly are helpless lots who need help.

The main fear of the farmers was the MSP will be revoked and that fear is quite justified. They will end up in the platter of industrialists in place of middle-men, anyone who has worked in private concerns knows how generous industrialists are! Will you love to be in their clutches like that?

But the fault is not only with the current central government. Most states are also at fault at providing MSP to the farmers. Except Haryana & Punjab none of the states has a fully operational farmer’s market where (APMC) they can get the MSPs. It is really surprising that after so many years of the APMC Act, no government – including the ‘pro poor’ Left Governments have bothered to put the APMC infrastructure in place. Had they done it the farmers would have been immensely helped.

It should never be scrapped, wherever it is in place, the farmers are getting benefitted from it. What the central government should have done is forcing other states to put the APMC infra in place, if it really cared about the farmers. But sadly it seems its priorities lie elsewhere.

The steps it has been taking since Covid-19 struck India and mowed down most of its poor people is helping big industries to become monopoly and the rest of the nation their workforce. Look at this bill and the new labor bill! They may bring back slavery! Slowly and steadily the rights are being taken away from public, it always starts with weaker sections and then rises upwards.

Indians should be paying more attention to the bills being passed.

It will be good if the government keeps the MSP and allows the rest of the bill after discussing with farmers and opposition leaders, in a democratic intelligent way.