Farmers’ woes

The people of India have given Modi a great opportunity to bring about a change in the country. If India failed to shine under the erstwhile Congress rule, it is now their moment to ‘Make in India’ glitter (“Gandhi demands probe into farmer suicide,” June 1, Gulf Today).

Farming which has been the backbone of the Indian economy is being given step-motherly treatment by various state governments. This has been a challenge to the BJP government. While there has been some improvement in the availability of water, electricity, equipment and fertilizers, there is still a yawning gap when it comes to giving them financial aid in the event of a crop failure. Apart from that there is no proper mechanism in place to help farmers get a standardized market value for their produce.

The Congress president Rahul Gandhi had set a precedent by asking the Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan to constitute an inquiry into a series of suicides by debt-ridden farmers in Wayanad constituency, the constituency that backed him to the hilt.

If Rahul has shown the way, probably Modi who got a thumping majority from the whole country can follow suit and emulate him in other states where farmers are also struggling with debts. Modi’s mantra of ‘sabka saath sabka vikas’ helped him earn a second term. Adding ‘sabka vishwas’ to that winning formula, Modi moves forward. We will know if that has come true when we no longer hear of farmers committing suicide in our great country.

S Moidu

By email