Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar flagged serious concerns pertaining to farmers’ issues at the centenary celebrations of the ICAR-Central Institute for Research on Cotton Technology recently. During the event, he asked how the government had failed to fulfill the promise made to farmers, amidst India’s growing stature in the world, while addressing most of his questions to the Union Minister of Agriculture present there.
“Policy-making is not on the right track,” Dhankhar said, while raising an alarm. He asked the Agriculture Minister to spell out what assurance has been given to the farmers, why it has remained unfulfilled, and what was the way out. “Every moment is important for you. There was a movement last year, and there is one this year as well. The wheel of time is turning, yet we are not acting,” he added.
Contemplating the transformative changes in India, he sounded optimistic about the nation’s potential, but at the same time questioned why farmers were still in distress. “For the first time, I am realizing that a developed India is not just a dream but a goal. When the country is achieving such heights, why are my farmers worried and suffering? They are the ones who feel helpless,” he said.
Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who was inducted into the Union cabinet after the April-May Lok Sabha elections, after serving as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh for almost 15 years, has not responded to these pointed remarks by the Vice President.
Dhankhar’s remarks came on a day when farmer protests have intensified, with farmers marching to Delhi yesterday. Farmers disrupted traffic at several points in the city and Noida while pressing for guaranteed compensation and benefits under new laws. Thousands of farmers have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February.
