There were at one point just 10 MPs out of a house of 533 PMs!
On farmers’ issues, this is the involvement, how many of you know?
MPs are the most privileged lot of the political class. They are paid high salaries, many perks; it is a sort of spectacle to be an MP in India today! The media buzz around them! At any time.
After the emergence of populist politics in most states, there are any type of MLPs, they are colurful and also in some ways character, making news all the time. Often for the wrong reasons!
But Parliamentary democracy demands the MPs elected by an electorate, in some states by purely for reasons that are not discussed openly.
What subjects the MPs debate more often? Here is one such instance. There was a debate on agriculture recently. The major media reported the debate thus:
Yes, this is the stark reality of the status of agriculture in the national priorities. The Central government, more than the states, is more vocal often when it comes to farmers’ distress, the farmer’s suicides and other forms of natural disasters like floods and other devastations. Even in the recent reports from all over the world we find it is the rural areas, the countryside, the rivers and lakes issues we see the rural people greatly affected. Fires in Greece, dam burst in Laos, of course floods and fires in China and Japan we see these natural disasters and the people missing and died!
How many of the rest of the population in the countries concerned are showing sympathy and help, one doesn’t know. As for India, the farmers are being neglected in spite of the repeated number of times politicians expressing sympathy and solidarity with the much-disorganised farming community.
In a recent Parliamentary debate, the media has reported one instance when the house debated on the situation of floods and drought in parts of the country, the house witnessed a strange picture of empty benches and a depleted number of MPs. In an afternoon debate there was a steady outflow of the hon’ble members and at one point of time, the be exact at 4.35 PM, when the house started at 2.25 PM and the whole discussion, government reply took five hours to conclude that at one point, at 4.35 PM, the house was virtually empty! There only 10 MPs in a house of 533 MPs!
Luckily, the report is s in such a detail that we are given to know how the MPs conduct themselves on such high priority issues. The members prioritised the topics and they skipped other listed bills and took up the farmers’ distress. From 61 members from the beginning the number steadily declined and though the number increased at one point to 61,21 from the Opposition, you please note, the numbers present also declined below the minimum required to form a quorum.
There were of course three ministers, the one name you might not have heard is the Union minister for agriculture, Radha Mohan Singh, his deputy G.S.Shekhawat and of course the more active MOs for home, Kiren Rejiju! Of course they assured the members to give all that they can.
But what is the point here is that the very low status the highly priority agriculture sector commands in the scheme of things. Every politician of any grade comes out with assuring crop loan waiver, the latest highlight in national politics if what the Karnataka Chief Minister, the much-admired H.D.Kumaraswamy’s bold write off of the crop loans to the extent of some staggering Rs35,000 crores!
The others are also waiting to make such stupendous announcement and grab headlines. At the same time, there are some silly insensitive remarks by the ministers to question the honesty of farmers to say that they are committing suicides over their unbearable d burden of debts! Even in Karnataka one influential minister had questioned the wisdom of linking farmers suicides to their debts Mr.D.K.Shivakumar had said this on the same day when the news about the absentee MPs came in the media. Of course the TV channels have lately blacked out the farmers’ suicides. For that sort of news don’t draw viewers. More interesting news is rape cases, mob lynching and other breaking news categories only.
Also, the agri media is an endangered species category! If you stick to such high national priority issues, you would be considered a crank or you can forget your aspiration for any government recognition. Forget any thought of PadmaSri!
So, hypocrisy surrounds any thought of lofty political goals like eradicating poverty and under development in the country.
Just talk of development, use any jargon that sounds sweet, Vikas? Or you can count any new terms? Please do it, you are welcome in the government circles! So, dear unfortunate farmers, you please take note of your status in society.
Again, you make sense only when you talk of some other populist schemes like Anna Bhagya! Is it 5 kgs or 7 kgs? The food and civil supplies minister was questioned for talking about this! How can he, as a minister can talk of these topics, it is insensitive, an NGO can speak but not a minister, said the rival BJP spokespersons!
So, agriculture, food, nutrition, rather malnutrition are sensitive issues, the insensitive part comes only when you talk about a rational solution to such issues!