By Satinder Bains
CHANDIGARH; The BJP seems to have learned no lessons from its humiliating defeat in Delhi assembly elections due to negative campaining and raising issues of morality which the BJP itself failed to stand by. Now BJP has started similar smearing campaign against Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) leaders on the issue of suicide committed by Gajeder Singh a farmer from BJP ruled state of Rajasthan.
Gajender Singh had committed suicide during the Kisan rally organised by AAP at Jantar Mantar. He was a AAP supporter and came from Rajasthan to highlight the plight of farmers in the state who are waiting for support by BJP government after rains damaged their crops. BJP spokesd persons on all the TV channels have skipped to reply to nation on the real problem but started blaming Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who continued his speech after the suicide attempt. Kejriwal has today admitted hios fault and has asked the BJP to focus on issues raised by Gajender Singh.
The reports of farmers ciommiting suicide in alrge number are coming from Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Haryana and Punjab where BJP government is ruling while in Punjab BJP is in collition with SAD. It is most unfrortunate that BJP has tried to divert the attention of nation from a very vital issue of suicides by farmers. BJP has been facing criticism on the amended land acqisition Act in which it has tried to allow big corporates to take over fertile agriculture land. Despite its anti-farmer stance, BJP is trying to justify its action and posing itself biggest supporter of farmers. The BJP has no face to show in the light of recent decision of BJP led NDA government at center.
The farmers who have beenf acing fury of the nature are at the mercy of political masters of country. The input cost of crops had increased manifold but center has refused to adopt formula of fixing MSP recommended by Swaminathan Committee. The SAD which is part of NDA government at center and partner with BJP in Punjab has been toeing the policies of BJP and failed to support farmers. The wheat procurement has always remained a problem in the SAD-BJP rule. The problem was not with availablity of funds but strike by transporters and labour and also shortage of bardana. The state government had not taken timely steps to resolve issues between transporters and labour. The baradana was unlaoded from goods trains due to labout shortage. The Railways has imposed Rs.50 lakh penality Punajb government for not unloading bardana stocks.
The center government has also discriminated with Punjab farmers on account of relaxtion in norms for procurement. The center has relaxed moisture norms for Haryana and Gujarat but not for Punjab. Punjab government has though decided to pocure all wheat stocks on MSP.
Interestingly, Punjab is the only agriculture state without any agriculture policy. The draft fo policy was ready for the last three years and pending in the office of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. No decision has been taken by him because if agriculture policy is announced, the state government would be duty bound to give relief to farmers as per its policy.