THE Bhoomi Adhikar Andolan (BAA), in a statement issued on December 5, has urged the people of Gujarat and especially the peasantry including adivasis, dalits, minorities, fish workers and forest dwellers to ensure the defeat of the BJP in the 2017 assembly elections for betraying the peasantry and intensifying the anti-farmer neo-liberal policies in Gujarat as well as all over the country. 

The plight of the peasantry has become even more miserable under the three and half years rule of the NDA government led by the BJP. The indebtedness, peasant suicides and rural to urban migration are on the ascendant. The Narendra Modi government has betrayed the peasantry by not implementing the MS Swaminathan Commission recommendation of minimum support price to all crops at the rate of 50 per cent above the cost of production, which was promised in the 2014 election manifesto of the BJP.

The finance minister Arun Jaitley reiterates that not a single paisa will be given for loan waiver scheme for farmers. The right of farmers to trade their cattle has been banned by the central government and this has adversely affected the meager income of small and middle farmers. The demonetisation and GST have badly affected the agrarian economy. Price rise and unemployment have grown manifold under the BJP regime.

The policy in agriculture followed by the Narendra Modi government is anti-farmer and pro- corporate in essence. The notorious land acquisition ordinance to grab the land of the peasantry without even their consent, as brought by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had illustrated the pro-corporate makeup of the BJP. The decision to allow 100 per cent foreign direct investment in agriculture under the pressure of USA and World Bank will further tighten the grip of monopoly capital on trade and agro-processing, and will prove detrimental to the farmers’ interests. The introduction of contract farming will increase the exploitation of the peasantry, contradict remunerative price and eventually they will lose their land and will end up as mere contract labourers of giant agro-corporations.

Bhoomi Adhikar Andolan has been consistently fighting the anti-peasant policies of the BJP-led NDA government. Without defeating BJP, the interests of the peasantry cannot be protected. Hence BAA appeals to the people of Gujarat in general and especially to the peasantry to ensure the defeat of the BJP and all other anti-farmer forces in the forthcoming assembly elections. The peasantry has to emerge and assert as an independent force to decisively influence the political process in the country in order to overcome the acute agrarian crisis.

BAA CONGRATULATES PEASANTRY

AND RURAL WORKERS IN UP

Bhoomi Adhikar Andolan has congratulated the people in general and especially the peasantry, rural workers, adivasis, dalits and minorities of Uttar Pradesh for ensuring the defeat of the BJP in the recently held local body elections. The BJP got defeated in majority of the seats in the municipalities of rural towns, thus indicating that the peasantry and the rural workers are rallying in large numbers against the BJP and the Modi and Adityanath governments. 

Although in municipal corporations it won 14 of the 16 mayoral posts, the BJP’s performance in municipalities and rural towns is pathetic. Out of 438 town panchayat presidents, BJP got only 100 and it got defeated in 338. Among the 198 city municipal council presidents, BJP’s share is only 70. Among nagarpalika members where BJP won 916, it got defeated in 4295 seats. Among town panchayat members, BJP won only 663 while it lost in 4715 seats.

The peasantry which is reeling under indebtedness, lack of income and unbridled price rise are rising up against the divisive and communal policies of the BJP. The biased role of the corporate media in blacking out the struggles of the workers and peasants is not helping the BJP to escape from the ground reality of intensifying anger and protest among the toiling sections against the pro-corporate and neo-liberal policies of its central and state governments.