RSSaffiliate farm body calls protests politically motivated

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS), an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), on Tuesday dubbed the farmers’ protest at the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border as being “politically motivated” and said farmers are being used as “fodder” by the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) political opponents.

BKS, which has in the past been critical of the Centre’s farm policies, is now defending the government against accusations that it has failed to protect the interest of the farmers.

As the BJP gears for elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, where agrarian crisis is likely to be a key poll issue, BKS functionaries say that the Centre has “taken one step at a time” to resolve the farm crisis.

“This [way of protest] is not what farmers do…they don’t damage national property for their own self-interest. Farmers believe in ahimsa (non-violence) and they should seek a resolution to their problems through samvaad (dialogue),” BKS general secretary Badri Narayan Chaudhary said.

On Tuesday, thousands of farmers gathered at the Capital’s doorstep with a charter of 15 demands . Chaudhary, however, said the protest is due to Opposition instigation, adding that “they [farmers] should be made aware that this government has announced measures that are pro-farmer” .

However, Prof SS Jodhka, who teaches Sociology at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, countered BKS, stating “The farm and rural sectors are being largely ignored; there is no serious engagement with people.”