CandleLight Vigils - Mohan Dharia

The sheer logic of Indian democracy becomes evident, when the politician is forced to go back to the electorate at least every five years. The electorate also knows very well, that next time, they will see the politicians emerge, from the corridors of the various Sabhas - Lok, Vidhan, Rajya, etc, will be about four and half years later, unless of course there is a court decision or some such toppling of the cart.
There is no doubt that after the whirlwind tours of Shri Man Mohan Singh, and Maharashtra Chief Minister to the Indian killing fields - farming lands - the politicians lower down in the pecking order, would all feel they have been pardoned from making a beeline for the rural countryside and spoiling their white linen kurtas and designer goggles.
The Indian Finance Minister, of course thinks that, when there exists an Agriculture Ministry, and a Planning Commission, for super annuated politicians and retired farm leaders like Sharad Joshi, Ajit Singh and Tikait, there is no need for him to even open his mouth, on Indian countryside and farm issues. His remit is basically stock markets, and the tax system, pulling the strings of the IRS bureaucracy.
The countryside, ah, the votes are still there. Of course, the politicians might do so a bit sooner, if Sonia Ji decides to jolt them, bolt them, or scold them.
Some people are surely now playing a wait and watch game. Where this issue of Indian farmer suicides will now go, and how much of an impact it will have on election prospects for Congress in the next elections ? These calcualtions will soon begin in earnest.
As always, with the loyalties and royalties, well known inside Congress, people are wondering when Mrs Sonia Gandhi, will take on the image and role of Mrs Indira Gandhi vis a vis the Indian farmers and the Second Green Revolution. Mrs Indira Gandhi created an entire infrastructure of institutions to solidly underpin the first Green Revolution.
This Mrs Gandhi is only talking of Second Green Revolution, lulled by the Leopold and Oxbridge awards.
It is only when she decides to take note of the farmer suicides, that the scramble for farmer votes will be activated by push button, within Indian Congress party. Till then, it is wait and watch, apart from cursory suicide figures, being read out from a note prepared by an IAS bureaucrat, by Shri Sharad Pawar in Lok Sabha. Till then, business as usual for Mr Chidambaram, RBI Governor and Congress politicians.

Mohan Dharia - Farm Debt Campaign

Farmer organizations of India need a two pronged strategy, to make the campaign on farm debt successful. At one level, they have to seriously consider the strategy of leaving their fields fallow for one year, growing only food grain crops for their family consumption, rather than the domestic or export market. This will assist the politicians like Shri Sharad Pawar and economists like ManMohan Singh and Montek Singh Ahluwalia, in importing foodgrains, from global markets, to their heart's content. This would also help in India, making a rapid entry into the good books of USA and Europe, and in lieu, getting their support on the nuclear and Security Council issues.
Secondly, farmer organizations must convince farmers that agricultural land is by no means a boon in modern India, rather, it is a liability for themselves and for their next generation. The sooner they discard their precious land and move en masse to cities, the better off they will be. If at all the Indian politicians, want them to remain chained to agriculture, the Government should take over ownership of all their agricultural lands, reorganize it into large profitable holdings, retrain farmers on how to adopt modern agricultural practices, and employ farmers, on a fixed salary, that is enshrined in the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations. This will be the correct way, of ushering in the Second Green Revolution in India, rather than just exhorting ignorant and bewildered farmers to stop taking their lives, and linking up with private sector and contract farming. Modern modes of production riding on the back of reorganized agricultural land, American agricultural practices, B-school management and marketing talents, snipping the farm dependant population of India to 10% of India's population is the only way forward.

Farm Suicides in America and India

In a very touching gesture, the US Department of Agriculture Secretary, Mike Johanns, took note of the large scale farmer suicides in India, as also the ongoing national campaign to draw attention to the indifference of Indian Central government, to address the fundamental causes behind large scale farm suicides.
In India, the statistics are chilling - 150,000 farmer suicides in a decade. Considering that one farmer on an Indian farm supports and feeds a family of about 6-10 members, the calamity that the Indian countryside is facing becomes very obvious. But Americans have an easy explanation on how to swallow this bitter pill with a cheerful smile.
The Secretary was taking note of this fact during a visit to New Delhi in November 2006, and described the situation as "a complex issue". Complex it is all right, we all know that ! Thanks for telling us this Mr Secretary.
But the most bewildering part of the Secretary's observations about Indian farmer suicides, was when he opened his mouth on the issue of subsidies to farmers in US versus the subsidies to farmers in Europe.
Not to be side tracked, by the issue of large scale, Indian farmer suicides, the Secretary came up with the most insensitive, and callous of comparisons, that can possibly be made by some one who operates routinely in the political and foreign relations realm.
The Secretary made light of the "complex issue of farmer financial distress" by coming up with a formula, of comparing the Indian farm suicides with the farmer suicides in US. The sugar coated pill he tried to force down Indian politicians, and food policy analysts, was that - quote ".. in per capita terms, the number of suicides in both countries is the same"..unquote.
One can draw the obvious conclusion - an Indian farmer's life is equivalent to just 5% of an American farmers life. Three cheers to free world and new global order.
I would certainly not like to believe that the Secretary actually meant what he said. Because if he did, then one realizes the very insidious nature of the attitude of American politicians to farm issues in the developing countries and their total disregard for human life, when it comes to agricultural trade issues, and finding global markets for American farm produce.
This does remind me, of the observation of the Indian science historian, Dharampal, that - "The tendency of the western nations is that they will try to eliminate those that do not live up to the standard which they define as civilisation, this is the rule and it is considered correct. Darwin's theory comes much later, the main thing is that this is the way in which the west thinks. Survival of the fittest, and others have to either be fit or let to wither away - if not helped in the process. They will not be bothered if few lakh rural Indians die of natural calamity. This is not a problem for them, those people are any way not fit to live, so let them die will be the attitude."
Says quite a bit about free trade in agriculture, lobbyists and arm twisters, and the American and European friends of Indian farmers.