Elections, Food Supplies and Rural Votes
The sheer logic of Indian democracy becomes evident, when the politician is forced to go back to the
electorate at least every five years. The electorate also knows very well, that next time, they will
see the politicians emerge, from the corridors of the various Sabhas - Lok, Vidhan, Rajya, etc, will
be about four and half years later, unless of course there is a court decision or some such toppling
of the cart.
There is no doubt that after the whirlwind tours of Shri Man Mohan Singh, and Maharashtra Chief
Minister to the Indian killing fields - farming lands - the politicians lower down in the pecking
order, would all feel they have been pardoned from making a beeline for the rural countryside and
spoiling their white linen kurtas and designer goggles.
The Indian Finance Minister, of course thinks that, when there exists an Agriculture Ministry, and a
Planning Commission, for super annuated politicians and retired farm leaders like Sharad Joshi, Ajit Singh
and Tikait, there is no need for him to even open his mouth, on Indian countryside and farm issues. His
remit is basically stock markets, and the tax system, pulling the strings of the IRS bureaucracy.
The countryside, ah, the votes are still there. Of course, the politicians might do so a bit sooner, if
Sonia Ji decides to jolt them, bolt them, or scold them.
Some people are surely now playing a wait and watch game. Where this issue of Indian farmer suicides will
now go, and how much of an impact it will have on election prospects for Congress in the next elections ?
These calcualtions will soon begin in earnest.
As always, with the loyalties and royalties, well known inside Congress, people are wondering when Mrs Sonia
Gandhi, will take on the image and role of Mrs Indira Gandhi vis a vis the Indian farmers and the Second
Green Revolution. Mrs Indira Gandhi created an entire infrastructure of institutions to solidly underpin the
first Green Revolution.
This Mrs Gandhi is only talking of Second Green Revolution, lulled by the Leopold and Oxbridge awards.
It is only when she decides to take note of the farmer suicides, that the scramble for farmer votes will be
activated by push button, within Indian Congress party.
Till then, it is wait and watch, apart from cursory
suicide figures, being read out from a note prepared by an IAS bureaucrat, by Shri Sharad Pawar in Lok Sabha.
Till then, business as usual for Mr Chidambaram, RBI Governor and Congress politicians.
I recently read a statement by Shri Sharad Pawar in the course of a TV interview by
Karan Thapar, asking him, what was his response to the powerless accusation made that
the Indian Congress government, is much happier "importing wheat from an Australian
corporation," than from local Indian farmers who are silently playing out the dance of
death in the Indian killing fields, especially in the very states the Agriculture
Minister represents.
The honourable minister referred to the peculiar difficulty of his situation. Maybe he
does have a point. He referrred to his role as that of being burdened with the twin
responsibilities of being the Food Minister as well as the Agriculture Minister of the
second most populous country in the world - India.
India also happens to have the largest number of farm dependant population, that is,
those who have no sources of income other than from farming, a fact often forgotten in
global negotiations on tariffs and agricultural subsidies.
I quote his response - "As representative of the government, I know better than the
papers. Suppose I purchase wheat from Punjab and Haryana and if I have to sell it to
the entire South India, my yearly storage charges and my transport charges alone cost
me Rs 1,150 to Rs 1,160 per quintal.
My import price from Australia in southern India is somewhat close to Rs 950.
It is my responsibility to protect the interests of the consumer, and for the sake of
protecting the interests, I have to build up my buffer stock, and essentially in
southern India. For the sake of building the buffer stock, in the case of an
eventuality, I have no choice, I will import from anywhere..."
This is very interesting and maybe a precursor to the changed Indian position in the
Doha talks.
Suddenly, the Indian minister is finding a conflict in his position as Food Minister
and as Agriculture Minister.
While on the one hand he is happy that farmers have the option to "not sell" wheat to
the government, he is also very concerned about the wheat consumers of South India.
Does it not make sense to relieve the minister of his dual responsibilities, so that
there can be separate ministers for Agriculture and for Food ? He will then not have
to play pick and choose and can truly represent his constituency more appropriately.
Afterall, the constituency of food growers is very large, and now, with farmers
quitting agriculture, thanks to an undeclared farm exit policy, the constituency of
urban food consumers is also very large.
Yes Minister, you do have a point. There needs to be some urgent action and the
terrible burden on his shoulders must be released. He can choose which ministry he
wants to keep and the other can be given to effect one more expansion of the Cabinet.
In case he chooses the Food Ministry, then he can the promote the ill fated Doha Round
of WTO talks.
The WTO Head, the EU Trade Commissioner and now the US Agriculture
Secretary, have suddenly woken up to the need for progressing on the collapsed Doha
talks. Many rapid fire visits have been made to Indian and Brazil capitals, in an
attempt to
rope in the shakers and the movers of the Indian trade and agriculture
ministries.
Of course, the poor African farmers, the Indian farmers, and all those who are supposed
to benefit from WTO revival, are still not aware that such hectic and back breaking
efforts are being made "
on their behalf " by such good intentioned folks.
Indian farming, agriculture, food policy
Indian Food Policy
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