5 min readBhopalJul 28, 2023 12:33 PM IST
First published on: Jul 27, 2023 at 07:48 AM IST
From free power to withdrawing police cases registered during protests, the Congress in Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday announced a series of sops for farmers ahead of the Assembly elections scheduled for later this year. As it prepares for the coming polls, the Congress, like in Karnataka, is focusing on hyperlocal issues and farmers are central to its outreach.
Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee President Kamal Nath promised the implementation of the Krishak Nyay Yojana through which it wants to provide 37 lakh farmers free power for agriculture pumps with a capacity of up to five horsepower; 12 hours of uninterrupted power supply; the withdrawal of “unjustified” police cases against farmers who participated in various agitations; waiver of power bills used for agriculture purposes; and continuation of the loan waiver scheme in place for farmers.
The policy, the Congress said, would be a “game changer”, considering 70% of the labour force in the state is dependent on agriculture.
While announcing his intention to waive electricity bills, Nath hit out at Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and accused him “of pushing the state into a dark age”.
“In the villages of the state, there is a continuous 10-hour power cut. Shivraj ji has pushed Madhya Pradesh into a dark age. When Shivraj was in the Opposition, he used to tell people not to pay electricity bills. He would say he would take care of it, advising against buying inverters. Now, he has plunged Madhya Pradesh into a generator age. Electricity doesn’t reach the villages, but the bills keep piling up. His lightning is falling upon the farmers, but their motors are not running.”
Saying that the Chouhan government has always adopted an anti-farmer stance, Nath added, “Under the BJP rule, 20,489 farmers have committed suicide. On one hand, the Shivraj government talks about the (BJP scheme) krishi samaan nidhi. On the other hand, he deliberately declares lakhs of farmers ineligible and issues them recovery notices.”
The Congress has also been trying to corner the government over the 2017 Mandasaur firing incident in which five farmers lost their lives during a protest organised to demand a fair price for produce.
Nath said, “The Shivraj government fired bullets at the farmers in Mandsaur. But despite presenting evidence of their anti-farmer nature, the Shivraj government has never put the investigation report of the Mandsaur incident on the floor of the Assembly.”
He then launched an attack on the now-withdrawn Central farm laws. “The Shivraj government fully supported the three black agricultural laws. The purpose of these three laws was to transfer farmland into the hands of a few capitalists. More than 700 farmers died while opposing these laws. The BJP government is responsible for the killings of these farmers.”
Reacting to Nath’s statements, state Home Minister Narottam Mishra said the government already provides farmers with electricity. “Those who have done injustice to farmers are talking about justice. You are saying that you will provide electricity for 12 hours. We are providing 24-hour electricity to the villages and 10 hours to the farms. During your time and (former CM) Digvijaya (Singh)’s time, electricity used to come only sometimes.”
He added that farmers “have not forgotten the betrayal of waiving off a loan worth Rs 2 lakh in 10 days which turned into an overdue loan”.
Hitting out at his former party, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said, “The Congress ranks number one regarding announcements and manifestos. After coming to power, Congress completely forgets the public. The public is very well aware of this behaviour.”
Emphasising the Congress’s focus on farmers, All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Priyanka Gandhi said at a rally in Gwalior on July 21, “One businessman is earning Rs 1,600 crore in a single day. A farmer in this country is unable to earn rupees 27 in a day.”
The statement was criticised by Chouhan who said that “farmers were given a financial assistance of Rs 6,000 per year, apart from Rs 6,000 assistance by the Prime Minister”.
The Chouhan government in May launched a campaign promising to waive farm loan interests amounting to over Rs 2,200 crore, a move it said would benefit over 11 lakh farmers who defaulted on loans in May.
Just six months ago, in November, the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS), an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), criticised the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh during a protest at Bhopal over a range of issues like shortage of fertilisers, non-payment of compensation for crop damage, and erratic electricity supply.
Nath said, "The Shivraj government fired bullets at the farmers in Mandsaur. But despite presenting evidence of their anti-farmer nature, the Shivraj government has never put the investigation report of the Mandsaur incident on the floor of the Assembly.” 
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