Farmers angry with BJP but Congress takes them for granted: Haryana farm union leader Gurnam Chaduni

Excerpts:

* What is your strategy for the Haryana Assembly polls?

We will contest at least 20-30 seats. Along with agitations, we will do politics too. As of now, there is no alliance with any political party.

* Did you seek tickets from the Congress for farmers?

Representation should be given to farmers. Farmers are not only meant to feed the country and to be beaten up during agitations. If farmers don’t join politics, who will put forward their point of view? How will a person from a corporate background raise our issues? But farmers have yet not been able to understand politics. They have been voting for the BJP and Congress turn by turn. The politics to favour corporates has been taking place instead of that to favour farmers.

* Which party’s tickets will be your preference for farmers?

Today, farmers are upset with the BJP, which they consider as “anti-farmer”. The Congress should take care of them. But the Congress is thinking the farmers will have to vote for it because they are angry with the BJP.

* If the Congress is confident of farmers’ votes, why will it give tickets to farmer leaders?

Exactly this is happening. People say the BJP has to be defeated and only the Congress can defeat it. They don’t have any attachment with the Congress. For them, the Congress is not a good option. But it can defeat the BJP and that’s why farmers will vote for it (Congress). So, the Congress takes farmers for granted, feels that it is their compulsion to vote for it. Political parties think farmer leaders have public support for agitations but don’t have votes. It’s indeed true and the farmer is paying for it.

Chaduni at a farmer protest in Bhiwani. (Photo: Instagram/@gurnamsinghcharuni)

* Did you get any indication of an alliance or a ticket from the Congress?

Not at all from the Congress. The (Congress) has given command to (Bhupinder Singh) Hooda. Hooda bahut ghamandi aadmi hai. Hooda Congress ka satyanash karega (Hooda is an arrogant person. He will ruin the Congress). In the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP won five seats because of Hooda. Hooda did not make an alliance with the Chautalas (of the Indian National Lok Dal). He cheated us after giving assurances. He only promotes his favourite persons. This policy will lead to infighting in Congress.

* Elections are a costly deal these days. How do you plan to handle it?

It’s true that we don’t have money for elections. But a seed of ideology needs to be planted. We don’t know when it will bear fruit.

* Your outfit contested the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections in an alliance with farm leader Balbir Singh Rajewal’s Sanyukt Samaj Morcha. What was that experience like?

In Punjab, even the farmer bodies opposed this idea. That is why the results were not encouraging and we polled just 1.5% of the votes. But without money and planning, we got 1.5% of the votes. It brought awareness at least among some people. It gave a message that farmers should enter politics. We don’t have any other option but to enter politics.

* What are the issues, according to you, in the Haryana polls?

We will raise the issues of farmers, labourers, shopkeepers and unemployed youth. It will include free treatment, free education and assistance of Rs 12,000 per acre to farmers per year. At least 200 days annually of work opportunities for labourers, a minimum wage of Rs 500 per day, and assistance of Rs 5 lakh to youths to set up businesses.