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BJP reaches out to farmers ahead of Gujarat elections
In the run up to the assembly election in Gujarat, the Bharatiya Janata Party has intensified its campaign to ensure farmers are receiving the full benefits of state and central schemes targeted at the agricultural sector.
In the run up to the assembly election in Gujarat, the Bharatiya Janata Party has intensified its campaign to ensure farmers are receiving the full benefits of state and central schemes targeted at the agricultural sector. It is being done to ensure the party does not lose out on support from the farming community like it did in the previous election.
The party is relying on initiatives such as the NaMo Kisan Panchayat launched by BJP president JP Nadda last month to create awareness about schemes farmers can benefit from, besides incentives and financial aid to adopt technology such as drones to meet challenges of labour shortages, said a party functionary.
In 2017, when the party’s seat share fell to 99 from 115 in 2012, the loss was attributed to several causes such as the Patidar agitation and the anger against the implementation of Goods and Services Tax, but also significantly to farm distress, particularly in the Saurashtra region.
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“The condition of farmers in the region had been worsened by the rainfall deficit and drought that the state faced in 2016 and 2017. There was also some anger against the government for not being able to implement minimum support price for cotton and groundnut produce,” the functionary said, seeking anonymity. “But those issues have now been resolved.”
Issues such as water and power shortages still persist in certain areas, coupled with low returns from certain items such as salt, which have the potential to upset the party’s performance, the functionary acknowledged. The widespread losses to the dairy sector due to the lumpy skin disease has also added to the party’s concerns, he said. The state has lost an estimated 5,800 cattle to the outbreak.
Earlier this year, farmers in the state protested against inadequate power supply, rallied against low remuneration for certain products and demanded a minimum support price for salt.
“A lot of work has been done to improve the condition of the farming sector, but a major challenge has been providing water for irrigation and power for the farms. There are several schemes that the government has launched to address other issues such as availability of fertilisers, the quality of seeds, crop purchase, etc., which we want the famers to benefit from, and these are being advertised for better implementation,” said the functionary.
The party has deployed teams that travel across the state with audiovisual screens that give farmers the full details of schemes, such as the Pradhanmantri Fasal Bima Yojna, the soil health cards and annual deposits made under the PM Kisan Nidhi Yojna.
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The party is hopeful that the scheme of providing free food grains under the PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana will help secure the support of the masses.
Speaking at the launch of the NaMO Panchayat, Nadda had credited Prine Minister Narendra Modi for giving ₹6,000 annually to more than 11 crore farmers under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana. The budget for farmers has been increased six times, he had said.
The party’s concerns are exacerbated by the poll promises made by the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party. The AAP has promised free electricity up to 300 units a month, while the Congress has promised to waive farm loans up to ₹3 lakh.
