RSS-affiliated bodies concerned over farm Bills

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, September 22

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-affiliated farm and swadeshi organisations working to promote organic farming in the state have sought a guarantee from the Centre that farm ordinances should not exploit farmers and a steady MSP should be mainatined. RSS affiliate organisations the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS) as well as the Swadeshi Jagran Manch have raised concerns over farm ordinances, while the foremost proponent of organic farming in the state, the Kheti Virsat Mission has also aired concerns.

The BKS also sent representations on behalf of 500 village samitis in the state to Prime Minister Narendra Modi raising four main concerns regarding the Bills.

Gurdev Singh, organising secretary of the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, said, “Our main concern is that the Bills are not exploitative to the farmers. We have sought MSP guarantee for farmers and private agencies do not exploit them like the arhtiyas earlier did. Suggestions on this had been sought by us from the government. As many as 500 village samitis held meetings in which suggestions were sought and resolutions passed. These have been sent to the PM. Special courts at district-level should also be set up to make it easy for farmers to get justice if someone exploits or dupes them.”

Umendra Dutt, founder, Kheti Virasat Mission, who has played a major role towards organic farming in the state, says, “The government should have adopted a proper way to bring in the Bills. There is no room for apt dialogue in the current atmosphere. Farmers have some doubts. These should have been addressed before the Bills were brought in. Contract farming has not shown desired results in the state. Overall the Bills would have been more effective if farm opinion should have been taken into consideration.”

Vimal Sharma, a tritiya varsh shikshak and RSS parcharak, who has been associated with the Swadeshi Jagran Manch, said, “It is my personal opinion that the security of rates among farmers is very important. The ultimate aim of the Bills should be to stop exploitation of farmers”.

RP Singh, a representative of the Swadeshi Jagran Manch, said, “I feel the Bills are pro-farmers and in the long run these would benefit the farmers. However, in the present political circumstances, the Bills would have been more fruitful had farmers been consulted earlier”.

Country needs an Indian farming model: Ex-VC, PTU

Rajnish Arora, former VC of Punjab Technical University, had also opposed the Bills. He said the Bills were hastily brought in without consulting the requisite stakeholders. Arora is associated with the RSS. Arora said, “There has been a 70-year history of the mismanagement of grains and produce in the country. Grains go waste but don’t reach the right persons. At the end of the 70 years, the Bills which are being brought in should have addressed this issue. I think much of the protests against the Bill are politically motivated. But the Bills follow more of the Western or US model than Indian. The US model of farming has failed and led to monopoly of private agencies, harming farmers. India needs an Indian model. India needs a farming model which protects and promotes organic and swadeshi cultivation. I think the Bills have been brought in hastily during the Covid period, without taking various stakeholders into confidence.”