A file photo of Bharatiya Kisan Sangha national general secretary Mohini Mohan Mishra.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

The Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS) — a farmers’ body affiliated to the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) — has condemned the violent protests by some farm unions who are demanding guaranteed minimum support prices (MSP), but it also rebuked the BJP-led Union government for not paying heed to the farmers’ pleas. The BKS warned the government that its nationalism, discipline, and preference for dialogue should not be mistaken as signs of weakness.

“When farmer organisations of the country come to Delhi in a disciplined and peaceful manner and present the problems and demands of the farmers to the right forums, the government does not consider it appropriate to talk to them. The attitude of the government is regrettable, which is why the possibility of violent agitation increases,” BKS general secretary Mohini Mohan Mishra told journalists on Saturday.

He added that the ‘politicisation’ of the farming community and their demands is adding to their woes.

‘Governments least concerned about farmers’

The BKS statement comes against the backdrop of the thousands of farmers gathered at the Punjab and Haryana border, attempting to enter Delhi with their demands for a legal guarantee of MSPs for their produce. The agitation that started earlier has been marred by multiple deaths at protest sites allegedly caused by the actions of the police, who have used pellet guns, tear gas shells and lathis in clashes with the protesting farmers.

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In December 2022, thousands of farmers under the aegis of the BKS had raised a demand for MSPs among others from Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan. Announcing that non-violence was their choice but not a compulsion, they warned that the government would face trouble if their demands were not met. At a gathering of farmers from 560 districts of the country, the BKS declared that it was now evident that the governments, both at the States and the Centre, are least concerned for farmers.

Remunerative prices needed

Speaking about the resolutions passed after a two day annual meeting of BKS office bearers in Ajmer, Mr. Mishra said that farmers should get remunerative prices on the basis of their input costs, adding that GST on agricultural inputs should be abolished.

“We demand that there should be a substantial increase in the Kisan Samman Nidhi given by the government. Also, genetically modified (GM) seeds should not be allowed in market,” Mr. Mishra said, adding that seeds are the right of farmers and governments should make arrangements to stop the exploitation of farmers in the marketplace. The BKS resolutions also called for a comprehensive policy for the marketing of grains.

The BKS statements on farmers demands for guaranteed MSPs, however, run contrary to the tone of an editorial in the Organiser, an English mouthpiece of the RSS, the BKS’ parent body. The editorial had claimed that massive mobilisation and blockade of roads is being done by farmers with “unreasonable” demands, such as legal guarantees for MSPs for all crops, loan waivers, and pensions for all farmers.

The Bharatiya Kisan Sangh urges the government to frame long-term export and import policies that are in the interests of farmers. 
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS), the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh’s (RSS) farmers’ group, criticised the Centre’s export and import policies. The BKS urged the government to frame long-term export and import policies that are in the interests of farmers.

The BKS, which held a meeting of its all India managing committee in Raipur last week, said it’s being seen in the last few years that whenever a crop is on the verge of harvest, the Ministry of Commerce orders its import. The BKS also said that the Ministry either reduced or even waived off import duty, which further adversely impacts farmers, especially growers of onions, edible oils, and pulses.

“Similarly, whenever there is additional production of any crop, the government simultaneously imposes a sudden ban on export. This has been observed time and again, particularly in the case of wheat, sugar and onion. By doing so, the Ministry of Commerce not only causes a direct loss to farmers’ but keeps national interest also at stake. Because, in the event of import, foreign exchange is spent unnecessarily,” the BKS said.

The farmers’ body added that due to poor policies, market prices of crops fall and farmers don’t sow the crop in the next season. This leads to low production and increases the country’s dependence on imports. “Same happens when there is an additional production. That must be exported but due to arbitrary conduct of the Ministry of Commerce, farmers have to face huge losses,” office-bearers of the organisation said.

The BKS said that the estimated and actual figures on the area under cultivation and the production of all crops is available with the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. “But the Ministry of Commerce finds it disgraceful to take these data/figures from the Agriculture Ministry. As a result, import and export are either allowed or banned without any valid reason. It makes us believe that this type of malicious act is specifically aimed to harm farmers’ interests, which is also not in agreement with the farmer-friendly policies of the Central government,” the BKS said.

As part of its suggestions, the BKS committee proposed that the Ministry of Commerce should frame a far-sighted plan in consultation with the Ministry of Agriculture so as to ascertain there’s enough production of items being imported and the country becomes self-reliant, which would have a significant bearing, especially on the production of edible oils and pulses. For this, special incentives should be given for growing edible oilseed crops, the BKS said.

“The quantum of export or import must be based on the data/records provided by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and there must be a clear-cut provision in the policy to determine the required quantity of import. Apart from this, free export of additional (surplus) quantity of produce should be allowed. Policy to this effect should be framed,” the BKS said.

It also demanded that there must be provision for an export subsidy, so that, in a situation where prices of any item are low in the country of import, and there’s regular demand, then India may become a major exporter of that item. In any eventuality of imports and exports, the responsibility of the designated officials/group of officials must be fixed, the BKS further said.