• Prakash Pohare

Today, if any class in the country is in the worst condition, afflicted with misery and destruction, then that class is of the farmers. Anyone can come and rob them (kill them) and go away and at the same time some cunning person gains fame by becoming the messiah of the farmers and tries to make the farmers dance to his tunes. This has become the real situation of the farmers. Today many people are showing a patron-like behaviour towards the farmers, they are protesting today expressing love like Pootana Mausi (holds mythological significance). Where 750 farmers were martyred by protesting on the four borders of Delhi for 13 months and a big leader like farmer leader Dallewalji fasted for 100 days, yet the government did not take a single step, today someone is sitting on an 8-day fast for ‘farmer loan waiver’ and the news of meeting the minister seems funny! On one hand, the pleasure of power is to be tasted and on the other hand there is a drama of agitation against the government going on. Will the people doing such drama really sit on a fast to give justice to the farmers? At such times, I remember Anna Hazare, Kiran Bedi etc. who fasted on the issue of Lokpal Bill in 2011. What waving of the tricolour, what a drama, what a show off and what a drama of showing love for the people! Ohh!!! After the current government came to power, the media should definitely meet Anna Hazare and Kiran Bedi today on that issue who have been sleeping for the last twelve years. Anyways...

The number of farmer suicides has increased across the country, and as usual Vidarbha is leading in this matter. For the last two-three years, soybean, moong, urad crops have been destroyed due to natural calamities. The prices of soybean and cotton have fallen due to the government’s import-export policy. On top of this, the farmer has become completely desperate due to the increase in production cost. Not only the state, but every farmer of the entire country is drowned in debt. Every political party is well aware of this fact, so they declared in their election manifestos that ‘if we come to power, we will waive off the loans of farmers’ and BJP was at the forefront in this matter. They came to power in various ways, either by resorting to some ‘karma-dharma-sanyog’ or by adopting some other funda, but after coming to power they clearly said that it is not possible to waive off loans now. Now there is little hope of loan waiver from the government, so there is no other way left except fighting a legal battle. Keeping this in mind, the ‘Kisan Brigade’ has started a campaign to apply to the government for ‘debt relief’ of farmers.

Out of the three crore farmers in the state, ten lakh farmers have submitted applications so far. The third and final phase is going on till the 19th. Looking at the growing support, it is estimated that at least ten lakh more farmers will apply to the government. I had already warned that if we win the election, the promise of loan waiver should be fulfilled, otherwise we will ‘block’ the country’s economic capital by taking a march of at least two lakh farmers to the Mumbai Ministry. And if even after this the loan waiver does not happen, then we will file a PIL in the court. For this, the farmers who have applied for loan waiver will be the real proof. We have started this movement from May 14, 2025. Lakhs of farmers have applied for ‘debt relief’. Now suddenly some people are coming to hijack this farmers’ movement, and are pretending to be friendly towards the farmers. Is this not a drama? This can only be called a conspiracy by the government to confuse the farmers. After this, the real farmers’ movement will be covered up and these people will come out as messiahs of farmers by giving carrots in their hands. This is their ‘plan’, which is clearly visible from their past ‘acts’. Many farmers have been also telling me the same thing every day, so there is a need to be cautious.

In the column ‘Prahar’ of Sunday, June 8, 2025, titled ‘First return the money looted from the farmers, let alone debt recovery!’, I have presented the complete statistics of the looting of farmers. That is the real demand and campaign of the farmer, in which I had told that the loss incurred by cotton producing farmers alone in the total eight years between 2007 and 2014 is Rs. 57,225 crores. This was the calculation of only one crop of cotton and that too of only eight years. If the calculation of the last 25 years is done, then at least Rs. 2,50,00,000,000 (two lakh fifty thousand crores) has been stolen from the farmers from cotton crops alone, i.e. looted.

The account of other crops like rice, jowar, bajra, tuar, gram, moong, urad, sugarcane and other oil crops that I presented in the same issue makes it clear that billions and trillions of rupees have been given less to the farmers, that is, they have been looted.

The true productive farmer who produces ten thousand grains from one seed, who used to deposit his money in banks till 1960-65, used to decorate the lady of the house with gold just like goddess Lakshmi, how did that farmer become a debtor? How can a debtor commit suicide? Today, 15 farmers in Vidarbha alone and at least 100 farmers in the whole country are committing suicide every day. This system has taken the lives of lakhs of farmers. All the governments are responsible for this, not the government of any one party. But the current ‘jumlabaaz’ BJP government has crossed all limits by showing pipe-dreams to the farmers through - Talks of farmer welfare, doubling the cost - but actions are exactly the opposite!

Why is the double-engine BJP government, which staged ‘Operation Sindoor’ for the 26 people who went to visit Kashmir and got killed, not ready to say anything about the six lakh farmers and their widows who sacrificed their lives while feeding the people of this country and filling government warehouses?

In these 12 years, the present government has waived off Rs. 16 lakh crores of the capitalist industrialists. But the government did not wake up to the announcements of loan waiver for farmers before the elections, this should be called a complete ‘fraud’ and ‘haramkhori’! Therefore, the ‘Kisan Brigade’ has started a struggle not for loan waiver of farmers, but for permanent ‘debt relief’. Meanwhile, the ‘Kisan Brigade’ has taken the initiative to unite the opposition political parties and the farmer leaders and their organizations working honestly in the field of farmers across the country. Almost all the opposition parties of the country criticize the economic policies of the ruling BJP, but when the BJP reminds them of their own economic policies, these political parties have no answer, no alternative, because they still do not have their own clear and separate economic policy, due to which they are unable to stand in front of the BJP. This movement started by the ‘Kisan Brigade’ is providing the same alternative.

In the current situation, if this movement continues to grow and intensify like this, then the only and best option is that instead of opening separate fronts to fight for the farmers against the government, everyone should unite and expose the drama-mongers without any crowd. The movement should not be individualistic or ego-based, but issue-based. I believe that the focus of the movement should not be only ‘ego-based, but issue-based’.

Today, with the increase in the cost of seeds, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, diesel and labour, the cost of farming has also increased. Along with this, the cost of education of their children, clothes, hospital expenses have also increased. In such a situation, the prices that are being received at present are the same that they were getting 10-12 years ago i.e. in 2012-13. There was a time when farmers used to keep deposits in the bank, but now they have to take loans from the bank and the doors of the banks have also been closed for them. Therefore, now it has become necessary to take this fight to the final stage.

For this, the ‘Kisan Brigade’ has resolved to launch a decisive movement not for loan waiver, but for permanent ‘debt relief’. A plan has been made to prepare the farmers, workers, youth and the general public, who are victims of this system, to support this movement in their own villages and districts. Because the farmers have the key to strangle this system and make it speak, they just need strength and guidance to know what that key is and how to use it.

The government which says there is no money in the treasury has money to give Rs. 1500 to its beloved sisters without any demand, money to build Samruddhi Mahamarg, Shaktipeeth Marg without any need, because they have to send Vidarbha’s minor minerals to Adani via Mumbai or Goa. There is money to increase the salary of MLAs by 25 percent despite no agitation or demand, there is money to give good salary to government employees without any agitation or march. There is money to develop many Devasthans in the state, but despite promising loan waiver to farmers, why is there no money to give them loan waiver?

This kind of trickery, fraud or ‘haraamkhori’ cannot be done for government employees or businessmen and suppose if the government had done such fraud, then any of these groups would have immediately gone on strike and taught the government a proper lesson. Therefore, ‘Kisan Brigade’ has started this campaign to make farmers aware.

Therefore, as a first step, we have recently started a ‘Karjmukti’ campaign. So far, 10 lakh farmers have submitted applications to the government for ‘Karjmukti’ under the banner of ‘Kisan Brigade’. In the final phase, another 10 lakh farmers will submit applications. If five lakh farmers out of these 20 lakh farmers march to the Mumbai Ministry, then the government should think what will be the condition of Mumbai, the economic capital of the country. If needed, we will fight the battle in the court as well. We will present these applications of farmers in the court through trucks. ‘Kisan Brigade’ has made full preparations for this.

Debt relief is not just a goal. It is the beginning of the first phase. The real fight is to get back what has been looted from the farmers in various ways till now. After this, the farmer will not only become a food provider but also an energy provider, he will not take loans but will become a depositor. This fight is in this direction. This is no ‘child’s play’. Now tell me, who will join hands to make the farmers debt-free forever and brighten their lives forever? Support me, I am ready. Do contact me, if not now then never!’

(The author is the editor of Marathi daily ‘Deshonnati’, Hindi daily ‘Rashtra Prakash’ and weekly ‘Krishkonnati’)

The author can be contacted on 9822593921.