Be warned! Farmers are coming!
In just a few days of state government announcing its grand plans to erect a mammoth statue of River Cauvery, many farmers have laid siege to Suvarna Soudha in Belagavi, over delayed payment of sugarcane purchase by the state. Small skirmishes have also occurred. Farmers were arrested and then released. None of this is any new to the state.
The farmers who had demanded fertilizer and seeds by taking to streets during the time of former CM Yeddyurappa were answered with bullets. Eventually Yeddyurappa had tried to overcome the guilt of having been responsible for the death of a farmer by bullet, by promising to build a lifesize statue of the man who was killed in the melee. The dead farmer was called the ‘martyr’.
How would the statue of river Cauvery be of any respectable solace when farmers have to struggle to get their due respect and payment from the state? Even central government stages adequate emotional drama over farmers, and play politics through that. Though state has asked the centre to waive farmer loans, the centre has been refusing to pay heed owing to the economic loss it would suffer owing to this. At the same time, central government has spent Rs 3000 cr on a non performing asset such as a statue.
About 200 farmers organisations are coming together to press for their demands. A mega rally of members would reach Delhi on November 29, and 30. This would be a major faceoff for a corporate backed government against the common man. This is quite strongly indicative of the fact that statue of Patel – the one of unity – has nothing to do with the farmers of the country. Farmers are the keepers of food security of the country.
Today, when the country holds its head up with pride, it is not only because of the Army, but also owing to the fact that our farmers served us well with their hard work and produce. To protect their interest is to save the country. But the central government is trying to silence the farmers through the lathis of the police. Beyond this, what are the farmers even demanding? They just want a special parliamentary session being called to discuss the crisis in agriculture today. This is their main demand where they want issues like recommendations made by Swaminathan Commission, minimum support price and control, and remedial measures and discussions on crop insurance owing to faulty methods adapted by banks to be discussed and solved.
As for the accounts shared by the farmers, banks are using humiliating methods to recover the loans which is hurting the interest of the nation. At the same time many businessmen have been able to escape with thousands of crores of loans, which hardly bothered the banks. Hence millions of farmers are victims of this discriminatory approach adapted by the banks. Why are the banks so hard on the farmers and soft on corporates who are responsible for the crises banks are in, today?
Similarly, corporate companies are trying to have total control over commercial crops and insurance. The framework to expand this facility is helping the companies more than the farmers. Owing to all this, the country is facing agrarian crisis with more than 3 lakh farmers ending their lives. In this background, the rally has been organized to bring the issues to the notice of the central government and that of common people too. The rally is aimed at holding at least one democratic exchange of thoughts with the central government which is refusing to accept the problems that exist right now.
To understand why the centre does not want to hold any dialogue with the farmers is not a tough thing. Because, the moment govt comes down for a dialogue, it has to accept its failure to notice and sort out the matter. The government would then be held responsible for the crisis. This is an important coming together of people from many walks of life and hence very significant. Actors, bankers, students, cinema producers and techies, IT workers almost everyone is supporting this rally called by the life savers of the country.
Farmers are showing though the country is deemed to be theirs since they are the backbone, it belongs to the corporates in true sense. Natural agricultural resources such as land, forest, water and minerals are being usurped by the corporate companies, continuously. Companies are continuing to have monopoly over seeds, fertilizers, finances and market – almost every aspect that has something to do with the farmers. This rally aims at ensuring farmers get a life of dignity and promise along with strength and power to work on shaping their own destiny. This is also to increase the face value and dignity of the country. Hence, the government needs to cooperate with the farmers on this rally and its intent.
But in the given situation, such a response cannot be expected from the central government which may call them naxals or whatever to silence their voice. This may lead to even massive clashes between the government and the farmers. This rally may well be called the second freedom fight if the government does not understand its intent and work along with the farmers to find solutions to their problems.
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SC to hear today NGO's plea for release of voter turnout data for LS polls within 48 hours
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to grant an urgent hearing on a plea by an NGO seeking a direction to the Election Commission to upload polling station-wise voter turnout data on its website within 48 hours of conclusion of polling for each phase of the Lok Sabha elections.
A bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra asked the counsel appearing for the Election Commission (EC) to take instructions and said it will hear the matter at the end of the board.
The matter was mentioned by advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for NGO Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), seeking urgent listing of the petition.
Last week, the NGO filed an interim application in its 2019 PIL seeking directions to the poll panel that "scanned legible copies of Form 17C Part-I (Account of Votes Recorded)" of all polling stations be uploaded immediately after the polls.
"Direct the Election Commission to provide tabulated polling station-wise data in absolute figures of the number of votes polled as recorded in Form 17C Part- I after each phase of polling in the ongoing 2024 Lok Sabha elections and also a tabulation of constituency-wise figures of voter turnout in absolute numbers in the ongoing 2024 Lok Sabha elections," the NGO said.
It said the plea was filed to ensure that the democratic process is not subverted by electoral irregularities.
"The voter turnout data for the first two phases of the ongoing 2024 Lok Sabha elections published by ECI on April 30 has been published after 11 days of the first phase of polling... on April 19 and four days after second phase of polling... on April 26.
"The data, as published by the ECI in its press release dated April 30, 2024 shows a sharp increase (by about 5-6 per cent) as compared to the initial percentages announced by ECI as of 7 pm on the day of polling," the plea said.
The petition said the "inordinate" delay in the release of final voter turnout data, coupled with the unusually high revision of over 5 per cent in the poll panel's press note of April 30, 2024 has raised concerns and public suspicion regarding the correctness of the said data.
The non-release of the absolute number of votes polled coupled with the "unreasonable delay" in the release of votes polled data has led to apprehensions in the mind of the electorate about the sharp increase between initial data and data released on April 30, it said.
"These apprehensions must be addressed and put to rest. That in order to uphold the voter's confidence it is necessary that the ECI be directed to disclose on its website scanned legible copies of Form 17C Part- I (Account of Votes Recorded) of all polling stations which contains the authenticated figures for votes polled, within 48 hours of the close of polling," it said.
