BJP Election Manifesto 2024 Fails to Address Key Farmer Issues: AIKS
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IN a statement issued on April 17, the All India Kisan Sabha, said that the BJP's 2024 election manifesto, titled 'Modi ki Guarantee,' neglects crucial issues such as the implementation of MSP at C2+50 per cent as recommended by the Swaminathan Commission, guaranteed procurement, farmer suicides, and loan waivers. This manifesto is a clear admission of failure of implementing BJP’s last two manifestos in 2014 and 2019. In fact, the current document is trying its best to push BJP’s old promises under the carpet and distract the public from the worsening agrarian crisis in the country, AIKS said.
While the manifesto promises to "continue increasing MSP from time to time," it fails to consider inflation and rising costs that necessitate a higher MSP for farmers. Despite ongoing national struggles, the manifesto remains silent on the severe agrarian crisis. In contrast, other political parties have explicitly addressed the need for a fair MSP in their manifestos.
The PM Samman Nidhi scheme, offering Rs 6,000 per year, equates to a mere Rs 500 per month per farming household. From 2014 to 2022, 1,00,474 farmers and 3,12,214 daily wage workers tragically took their lives, yet the Modi government has not provided any debt relief to these families as it promised in its 2014 election manifesto.
Meanwhile, from FY 2014-15 to FY 2022-23, commercial banks have written off an aggregate loan amount of Rs 14.55 lakh crore for corporate entities. The BJP's 2024 manifesto remains silent on the pressing agrarian crisis, even though an average of 30 farmers die by suicide daily across the country.
Without reversing the pro-corporate policies underpinning 'Viksit Bharat,' and without ensuring remunerative prices for farmers and fair wages for farm workers, the Modi guarantee will only lead to further corporate gains and continued suffering for farmers and farm workers.
AIKS considers the BJP's 2024 election manifesto an open challenge to farmers and farm workers nationwide. Crisis in agriculture and privatisation of economy are only worsening the price rise and unemployment situation in the country. In this context, we call for the intensifying of campaigns to expose, oppose, and hold the BJP accountable for eloping from livelihood issues of rural voters. By not addressing the agrarian crisis and at the bare minimum not promising to safeguard farmers' and workers' livelihoods, the BJP is once again betraying rural India in the run up to the Lok Sabha election.
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