BJP’s election manifesto 2024 fails to address key farmer issues: Kisan Sabha 

BJP’s manifesto for Lok Sabha elections 2024, which has been released in the name of ‘Modi’s Guarantee’, includes implementation of MSP based on one and a half times the cost of the crop as per the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission, guaranteed purchase, farmer suicide and loan waiver. Like ignoring important issues. This manifesto reflects the BJP’s failure to implement its previous two manifestos in 2014 and 2019. In fact, in this manifesto, BJP has tried its best to hide its past promises and divert public attention from the deepening agricultural crisis in the country.

Although the manifesto promises to “continue increasing the MSP from time to time”, it fails to consider inflation and rising costs due to which farmers require higher MSP. Despite the ongoing nationwide protests, the manifesto is silent on the serious agrarian crisis. In contrast, other political parties have addressed the need for fair MSP in their manifestos.

Under PM Samman Nidhi Yojana, Rs 6,000 per year i.e. only Rs 500 per month is being given to each farmer’s family. 1,00,474 farmers and 3,12,214 daily wage laborers have tragically taken their lives from 2014 to 2022, yet the Modi government has not provided any debt relief to these families, which it had promised in its 2014 election manifesto. .

Meanwhile, from FY 2014-15 to FY 2022-23, a total of Rs 14.55 lakh crore of loans of corporate institutions have been waived off by commercial banks. The BJP’s 2024 manifesto is completely silent on the serious agrarian crisis, even though an average of 30 farmers are committing suicide every day across the country.

‘Developed India’ is not possible without reversing corporate-friendly policies. Without ensuring remunerative prices for farmers and fair wages for farm labourers, the Modi guarantee will only increase corporate profits and continue suffering for farmers and farm labourers.

Kisan Sabha believes that BJP’s 2024 election manifesto is an open challenge to the farmers and farm laborers across the country. Due to the crisis in agriculture and privatization of the economy, the situation of inflation and unemployment in the country is worsening. In this context, Kisan Sabha calls for intensifying the campaign to oppose the BJP and to expose it and hold it accountable, for running away from the livelihood issues of the rural voters. By not addressing the solution to the agrarian crisis and not even promising to protect the livelihood of farmers and labourers, the BJP is once again betraying rural India ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.