How farmers' agitation has given Congress hope in Madhya Pradesh
The farmers’ agitation in Madhya Pradesh that turned violent last week has since abated, but politics over the issue has just begun.
The Congress, sensing that this issue could enable it to make a bid for government in the 2018 Assembly elections, hasn’t decreased its attacks on the government. The otherwise divided state Congress unit has shown a semblance of unity on the farmer issue.
It began with the visit of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi to Mandsaur a day after the police firing. He was accompanied by former Union minister Kamal Nath and former CM Digvijaya Singh. Guna MP Jyotiraditya Scindia, who was overseas during the agitation, cut short his trip and reached Mandsaur, but wasn’t allowed to meet the families of the victims of the police firing.
A day later he met the farmers who had been agitating in Dewas and Indore district and later went to Bhopal for a 72-hour satyagrah that was slated to end on Saturday. Former Union minister Suresh Pachauri, state Congress president Arun Yadav (whose father was originally from the Arjun Singh faction), and leader of opposition Ajay Singh (Arjun Singh’s son) were also there.
On Thursday, June 15 evening, Digvijaya Singh arrived, scotching rumours that he hadn’t extended his support to Scindia’s programme.
The Congress has reason to identify the Mandsaur issue as something that can provide political dividends. About 42 per cent of the state’s population comprise cultivators and 28 per cent are farm labourers. Most of the farming community comes from the ranks of OBC, Yadavs, etc.
They had always supported the Congress till they migrated to the BJP in the last few elections. Also, Chouhan had positioned himself as the farmer leader in the state.
The Congress, has no base in upper caste and needs farmers’ votes and also needs to unsettle Chouhan from his position vis-a-vis farmers — if it plans to make a comeback in 2018.
(Courtesy of Mail Today.)