The agrarian crisis in the country is becoming a major issue. The farmers of India are being forced to hit the streets on regular basis seeking fulfillment of their demands. Thousands of farmers, some bare-chested in the November cold and others carrying skulls of loved ones who committed suicide, gathered at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi today to demand loan waivers and better prices for their produce. Several opposition politicians too joined the protest and supported the demands of farmers. Across the country, farmers are furious-and rightfully so.
The conditions in agriculture have got worse in the last four years due to various issues. Earlier problems have worsened as farm incomes have been squeezed by slower output growth, higher costs and increased vulnerability to a changing climate. And there are a slew of new problems resulting directly from government policies. Four years ago, farmers helped bring Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to power, believing Narendra Modi’s claims that they would no longer suffer official neglect. Now their anger is mostly directed at BJP government. In the last one year the situation has turned grim and farmers are reaching desperate level. The government of India has not been able to address the core issues concerning them. With general election looming large, the BJP lead NDA government at centre is playing with fire by not taking concern of farmer’s seriously. In India the election is mostly decided by the farming community. They are the backbone of country and feed the whole nation. Their concerns should be topmost priority of the any government whether be it BJP or Congress.