The agricultural reforms push had all the features and sensibilities of Modi’s distinctive middle-class politics of aspiration. But he seems to have misjudged the popular mood.
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If Pathaan gave both conservatives and liberals room to hide, Dhurandhar extends no such courtesy. Aditya Dhar ripped open that tent of hypocrisy and turned the knife.
NRI s also have a vested interest —
All freebies , subsidies , tax exemptions meant for the small /marginal farmers are usurped by the Rich / Super Rich farmers. NRI owners of agricultural land in Punjab who have not set foot in India for years , bribe Patwaris and show themselves as ‘ Khud Kasht ‘- i.e. Actual Tillers , in the Revenue Records . Such NRIs and others then take free electricity .
Why bribe Patwaris and make misdeclarations in Revenue records – Girdawaris – regarding Khud Kasht – Actual Tiller status . All facilities including Income Tax Exemptions , are meant only for Khud Kasht and not for the lessee etc benefits
Also remove subsidised social security schemes like PF, pension etc. for the salaried middle class both private sector as well as those in government and public sector. This will increase disposable income and lead to more spending thereby more growth and jobs. Tax paying middle class in India should financially plan for their own retirement.
Announce a scheme where for expensive items the GST is reduced for those individuals who actually pay substantial income tax. That way those rich subsidised farmers and rich self-employed who hide their incomes pay more for buying an expensive car or house as compared to a salaried income tax payer.
With the economy in a tail spin and predicted to go down further, the newly emerged middle class will disappear of its won accord, and go back to the poor class. This class emerged as a result of the growth of MMS’s best years. But ironically, this class is communalised and follows Modi. But as the economy shrinks, this class will disappear. They may still subscribe to Modi’s communalism and go along with him for sometime at least, even after losing their economic gains.
There will be the super rich class. It has become richer – Gujarati oligarchs like Ambanis and Adanis. The govt. is run by unscrupulous Gujarati Hindus and it is their policy to concentrate wealth in the hands of Guajrati oligarchs. The oligarchs in turn finance the govt’s election, and run the media. Ambani owns 20 channels. The remaining Indians will be in the poor class.
Already, Bangladesh’s per capita income has over taken India’s. Bangladesh may not have Ambani and Adani, but it will be a country with a better distributed income. This is better, social stability will be higher and indeed now BD’s image has turned more positive while India’s has become more negative due to Modi and Hindu extremism. It is Hindu day dreaming to make India a global manufacturing hub. In countries that go forward, the majority is sensible. Here the majority breeds cow vigilantes, rapists and rioters – and it is proud of this ! It is hardly likely such people will make India a First World Nation.
All these attempts at western style corporatisation in a society driven by caste will not work. The caste system breeds inequity and the Hindus have done everything to preserve caste. The Congress did not eradicate it and the BJP wants to strengthen it, like it was in Vedic India. Corporatisation in India will only accentuate the inequity, it is not going to make India like the west, like Hindu NRIs living in America imagine.
Caste is actually an Indian problem, not just a Hindu problem. Though this social evil originated in Hinduism/Hindusthan, it is not eliminated in spirit by almost all other religions in India as well. Buddhism is probably the only religion in India where Dalits are genuinely accepted.
Elites in Muslims and Christians too propagate separation of Dalits. You may not call it casteism but it is discrimination nevertheless. Elites in Islam and Christianity will not intermarry with Dalit converts but they want to claim those Dalits as part of their religious brotherhood.
nonsense. Modi won Bihar, rural elections in Rajasthan, Hyderbad muncipal elections (10 fold increase), recent by elections around country. only farmers from Punjab, Haryana are protesting. people trust Modi as he is personnaly not corrupt, come up hard way in life, no dynasty.
many of the farmers are not middle class. They are extremely rich. Much of the protest is driven by the fear that a captured market will slip ou of control.
Badals for example declared their assets as 217 crores. but still they are poor farmers we are expected to sympathesie and support them.
Writers like him are responsible for the defeat of opposition. They always give them the false sense that Modi’s popularity is going down and they go into wishful thinking rather than working on ground.
Whereas you know Modi is infallible and his popularity cannot ever go down.
Modi is the Great Hindu Hope of much of the traditional middle class and the nouveau riche. The latter will sink back into the poor as the economy shrinks from demonetisation, Covid and expenditure on defence. Then we shall see.
The confidence of bhakts in this comment link amazes me , after “sucess” of demonization and GST ..dragging economy down every single quarter after gaining power and now into the negative many still believe that the reforms of this government are in “right direction”
I truly have stopped giving a “F” where they end up with their foul mouth. I just hope they learn to control their rhetoric before they outdo themselves and someone calls their bluff
This protests are mainly by Kulaks and their cronies. They have pocketed all government subsidies for decades. Now they are shedding crocodile tears.
Why money should go in low return sector of economy.
History will see Modi as PM who tried some bold reforms after PV Narasimha Rao. The latter has to bear the brunt for 1991 reforms but millions of today’s youth whose jobs in the Information Technology Should be grateful for such reforms. If opposing this bill just for fear of corporate influence is really silly. Let these laws roll in and we can amend them in future whenever required. Annadaataa Sukhibhava
You from the traditional middle class, now thoroughly communalised, and greedy and hoping for more.
It is not going to materialise. The economy sank after demonetisation and GST, and inept Covid handling has finished it.
MODIJI Thanks for implementing farm reforms that will ensure maximum benefits to 94 percent farmers versus benefiting 6 percent farmers by stocking food grains which eventually go waste and is a major cause of ground water depletion and over use of carcinogenic fertiliser.
MODIJI ensure farmers are taken proper care of as they are very hard working and super patriots.
Also ensure proselytizers and Chinese funded illiberal leftist who are trying to whip up frenzy are dealt with the full extent of the law.
The author belongs to a think tank that is almost exclusively funded by foreign money and whose CEO is Shri Mani Shankar Aiyar’s daughter. That such an author will perpetually find reasons to rubbish Shri Narendra Modi and look at tea leaves for his downfall is not surprising. But what he does not realise that he is laying bare his partisan politics by not telling the truth behind this agitation; that it is driven by a motley collection of rich farmers from Punjab and some from Haryana, who have benefited because of these laws and at the expense of the rest of us. Farmers in other parts of the country have welcomed the changes as have the ordinary people.
@all – when people say Rich Farmers – what do they mean in money terms?
Most farmers I know just about get by after paying debts even though they may have 20 acres of land.
Can we have numbers? ie how much they actually make after all costs.
The current agitation is a proxy -agitation unleashed by the defeated politicians belonging tol non-BJP parties to bring some dis-satisfaction against Modi regime. Firstly, last year ,they tried their luck with anti-CAA protests . Those protests were also based on a totally wrong assumptions that majority of the people can be misled by leftists in the name of secularism, as major point of protest against CAA was that this legislation is anti-secularism as a particular community {– Which in reality never required such type of legislation– } , and is against the interests of that particular religious community. As protests were managed behind the scene by so called left liberals and ex-ruling party s hidden faces, it completely failed to tarnish the image and stability of Modi Government due to lack of support from common people.
Now when Modi regime wanted to bring in some far-reaching reforms in the marketing of farm products , the section of defeated opposition leaders started fear-mongering about the per-assumptive loss on the assumption that Modi Government or any other future Government , may dispense with the practice of declaring MSP for various crops in future and in future farmers may incur losses. All this agitation by the farmers is being fought to avoid future losses. The rich peasantry of Punjab , Haryana, and some parts of western U..P. has been roped in to fight proxy war of politicians against Modi ji. But Bharat Bundh has shown how much popular support is there for this agitation as except cardholders of the political parties, none from common people came forward to support the Bharat Bund . But one thing which political leaders unleashing proxy agitation has not cared to keep in mind that , if this agitation succeeds , they themselves will be replaced by a new breed of farm -leaders –La, Tikait- style and have to vacate the very space , they presently are occupying. So early retreat this tome will be in their own interests. Election 2024 is 36-40 months away. Leaders working from behind the scene may get another chance/ topics to attack Modi to keep themselves in news -headlines . As current agitation is not based on any economic logic and will not benefit farmers at all-India level, it is bound to fail . The oppositions leaders should do some home work, do some research , to find some new talking point to keep on their FIGHT-MODI ,campaign endlessly.
The CAA protests did not end. They petered out – only due to Covid. Now the govt. itself has lost steam and is unable to roll out NRC. By holding out the protesters took out the wind.
The farm law protest will not peter out unless Modi backs down partially. Communalising it and blaming Sikhs will not help.
Only farmers from punjab are protesting….so stop calling it all india farmers protest…
By and large, the views of the writer cannot be faulted. But, he has focused too much on society rather than economics of agriculture. Two days back, in CTC, Shekar Gupta has juxtaposed the statistics of agricultural economy of Punjab and Bihar and convincingly demonstrated that Punjab is way behind the so-called Bimaru Bihar and is dragging down India’s agricultural performance. It is also noteworthy that most vehement protest is coming from Punjab and not from the farmers from rest of the country. Blame Punjab’s laidback style of living, its monoculture of Paddy-Wheat and political leathergy for the current crisis. These have more to do with the present agitation than with Modi’s miscalculation about the new middleclass.
Agri reforms are intrinsically difficult to implement. Modi has taken on the vested interests in one go directly rather than by stealth and incremental approach. Punjab has always been well organised in protecting the benefits. Modi’s assumption was that under covid pandemic situation, he could push these reforms through. But this has not happened due to various factors.
Modi is unlikely to cave in now. Also, farmers have pitched their demands in binary frame making it a difficult choice for Modi. So long as agitation remains peaceful, it can go on but the moment there is any violence, it willbe a trying time. Besides, someone can always file PIL to clear road blockade etc. If SC intervenes, it will give face saving option to the agitators. Further, as farm work picks up in next two weeks, many will return to their farms.
The article tries to explain the issue in politico ideological framework which is unnecessary.
One more Balakot or Galwan can change the scene in one day. Everyone knows that this is agitation for benefits to be continued mainly for Punjab farmers, who gobble up 90 per cent of govt subsidies and MSP from central government. So all India sympathy is likely to wane soon. It is one thing to come together for a day to shout against Modi!!
There is a broad consensus that reforms are required and indeed further reforms for increasing farmer’s income are required.
Well written but this farmer protest is not as much by middle class but by political and financial losers who have vested interests in keeping the APMC going and pulling Modi down. It’s plain and simple.
Any reform will create gainers and losers. But for urbanisation raw food prices needs to come down and value addition needs to go up.
Fake narrative alert! A couple of thousand farmers from Punjab don’t define the national mood. This writer should stop lying and make an honest living for at least a single day.
Honest living? Very difficult when you are dependent on foreign funding and your boss is Shri Mani Shankar Aiyar’s daughter. Can anyone honestly say what good do these foreign funded think tanks do , our country?
Tu so raha hai kya? Pura world protest kar raha hai gandu
NRI s also have a vested interest —
All freebies , subsidies , tax exemptions meant for the small /marginal farmers are usurped by the Rich / Super Rich farmers. NRI owners of agricultural land in Punjab who have not set foot in India for years , bribe Patwaris and show themselves as ‘ Khud Kasht ‘- i.e. Actual Tillers , in the Revenue Records . Such NRIs and others then take free electricity .
Why bribe Patwaris and make misdeclarations in Revenue records – Girdawaris – regarding Khud Kasht – Actual Tiller status . All facilities including Income Tax Exemptions , are meant only for Khud Kasht and not for the lessee etc benefits
In India Physically Handicapped pay Income Tax where as Rich and Super Rich farmers do not.
Also remove subsidised social security schemes like PF, pension etc. for the salaried middle class both private sector as well as those in government and public sector. This will increase disposable income and lead to more spending thereby more growth and jobs. Tax paying middle class in India should financially plan for their own retirement.
Announce a scheme where for expensive items the GST is reduced for those individuals who actually pay substantial income tax. That way those rich subsidised farmers and rich self-employed who hide their incomes pay more for buying an expensive car or house as compared to a salaried income tax payer.
With the economy in a tail spin and predicted to go down further, the newly emerged middle class will disappear of its won accord, and go back to the poor class. This class emerged as a result of the growth of MMS’s best years. But ironically, this class is communalised and follows Modi. But as the economy shrinks, this class will disappear. They may still subscribe to Modi’s communalism and go along with him for sometime at least, even after losing their economic gains.
There will be the super rich class. It has become richer – Gujarati oligarchs like Ambanis and Adanis. The govt. is run by unscrupulous Gujarati Hindus and it is their policy to concentrate wealth in the hands of Guajrati oligarchs. The oligarchs in turn finance the govt’s election, and run the media. Ambani owns 20 channels. The remaining Indians will be in the poor class.
Already, Bangladesh’s per capita income has over taken India’s. Bangladesh may not have Ambani and Adani, but it will be a country with a better distributed income. This is better, social stability will be higher and indeed now BD’s image has turned more positive while India’s has become more negative due to Modi and Hindu extremism. It is Hindu day dreaming to make India a global manufacturing hub. In countries that go forward, the majority is sensible. Here the majority breeds cow vigilantes, rapists and rioters – and it is proud of this ! It is hardly likely such people will make India a First World Nation.
All these attempts at western style corporatisation in a society driven by caste will not work. The caste system breeds inequity and the Hindus have done everything to preserve caste. The Congress did not eradicate it and the BJP wants to strengthen it, like it was in Vedic India. Corporatisation in India will only accentuate the inequity, it is not going to make India like the west, like Hindu NRIs living in America imagine.
Caste is actually an Indian problem, not just a Hindu problem. Though this social evil originated in Hinduism/Hindusthan, it is not eliminated in spirit by almost all other religions in India as well. Buddhism is probably the only religion in India where Dalits are genuinely accepted.
Elites in Muslims and Christians too propagate separation of Dalits. You may not call it casteism but it is discrimination nevertheless. Elites in Islam and Christianity will not intermarry with Dalit converts but they want to claim those Dalits as part of their religious brotherhood.
nonsense. Modi won Bihar, rural elections in Rajasthan, Hyderbad muncipal elections (10 fold increase), recent by elections around country. only farmers from Punjab, Haryana are protesting. people trust Modi as he is personnaly not corrupt, come up hard way in life, no dynasty.
many of the farmers are not middle class. They are extremely rich. Much of the protest is driven by the fear that a captured market will slip ou of control.
Badals for example declared their assets as 217 crores. but still they are poor farmers we are expected to sympathesie and support them.
Writers like him are responsible for the defeat of opposition. They always give them the false sense that Modi’s popularity is going down and they go into wishful thinking rather than working on ground.
Whereas you know Modi is infallible and his popularity cannot ever go down.
Modi is the Great Hindu Hope of much of the traditional middle class and the nouveau riche. The latter will sink back into the poor as the economy shrinks from demonetisation, Covid and expenditure on defence. Then we shall see.
The confidence of bhakts in this comment link amazes me , after “sucess” of demonization and GST ..dragging economy down every single quarter after gaining power and now into the negative many still believe that the reforms of this government are in “right direction”
I truly have stopped giving a “F” where they end up with their foul mouth. I just hope they learn to control their rhetoric before they outdo themselves and someone calls their bluff
This protests are mainly by Kulaks and their cronies. They have pocketed all government subsidies for decades. Now they are shedding crocodile tears.
Why money should go in low return sector of economy.
History will see Modi as PM who tried some bold reforms after PV Narasimha Rao. The latter has to bear the brunt for 1991 reforms but millions of today’s youth whose jobs in the Information Technology Should be grateful for such reforms. If opposing this bill just for fear of corporate influence is really silly. Let these laws roll in and we can amend them in future whenever required. Annadaataa Sukhibhava
You from the traditional middle class, now thoroughly communalised, and greedy and hoping for more.
It is not going to materialise. The economy sank after demonetisation and GST, and inept Covid handling has finished it.
MODIJI Thanks for implementing farm reforms that will ensure maximum benefits to 94 percent farmers versus benefiting 6 percent farmers by stocking food grains which eventually go waste and is a major cause of ground water depletion and over use of carcinogenic fertiliser.
MODIJI ensure farmers are taken proper care of as they are very hard working and super patriots.
Also ensure proselytizers and Chinese funded illiberal leftist who are trying to whip up frenzy are dealt with the full extent of the law.
The author belongs to a think tank that is almost exclusively funded by foreign money and whose CEO is Shri Mani Shankar Aiyar’s daughter. That such an author will perpetually find reasons to rubbish Shri Narendra Modi and look at tea leaves for his downfall is not surprising. But what he does not realise that he is laying bare his partisan politics by not telling the truth behind this agitation; that it is driven by a motley collection of rich farmers from Punjab and some from Haryana, who have benefited because of these laws and at the expense of the rest of us. Farmers in other parts of the country have welcomed the changes as have the ordinary people.
@all – when people say Rich Farmers – what do they mean in money terms?
Most farmers I know just about get by after paying debts even though they may have 20 acres of land.
Can we have numbers? ie how much they actually make after all costs.
The current agitation is a proxy -agitation unleashed by the defeated politicians belonging tol non-BJP parties to bring some dis-satisfaction against Modi regime. Firstly, last year ,they tried their luck with anti-CAA protests . Those protests were also based on a totally wrong assumptions that majority of the people can be misled by leftists in the name of secularism, as major point of protest against CAA was that this legislation is anti-secularism as a particular community {– Which in reality never required such type of legislation– } , and is against the interests of that particular religious community. As protests were managed behind the scene by so called left liberals and ex-ruling party s hidden faces, it completely failed to tarnish the image and stability of Modi Government due to lack of support from common people.
Now when Modi regime wanted to bring in some far-reaching reforms in the marketing of farm products , the section of defeated opposition leaders started fear-mongering about the per-assumptive loss on the assumption that Modi Government or any other future Government , may dispense with the practice of declaring MSP for various crops in future and in future farmers may incur losses. All this agitation by the farmers is being fought to avoid future losses. The rich peasantry of Punjab , Haryana, and some parts of western U..P. has been roped in to fight proxy war of politicians against Modi ji. But Bharat Bundh has shown how much popular support is there for this agitation as except cardholders of the political parties, none from common people came forward to support the Bharat Bund . But one thing which political leaders unleashing proxy agitation has not cared to keep in mind that , if this agitation succeeds , they themselves will be replaced by a new breed of farm -leaders –La, Tikait- style and have to vacate the very space , they presently are occupying. So early retreat this tome will be in their own interests. Election 2024 is 36-40 months away. Leaders working from behind the scene may get another chance/ topics to attack Modi to keep themselves in news -headlines . As current agitation is not based on any economic logic and will not benefit farmers at all-India level, it is bound to fail . The oppositions leaders should do some home work, do some research , to find some new talking point to keep on their FIGHT-MODI ,campaign endlessly.
The CAA protests did not end. They petered out – only due to Covid. Now the govt. itself has lost steam and is unable to roll out NRC. By holding out the protesters took out the wind.
The farm law protest will not peter out unless Modi backs down partially. Communalising it and blaming Sikhs will not help.
Only farmers from punjab are protesting….so stop calling it all india farmers protest…
For those who don’t know ground reality……No Farmer is supporting these laws…….no one from Haryana and Punjab.
By and large, the views of the writer cannot be faulted. But, he has focused too much on society rather than economics of agriculture. Two days back, in CTC, Shekar Gupta has juxtaposed the statistics of agricultural economy of Punjab and Bihar and convincingly demonstrated that Punjab is way behind the so-called Bimaru Bihar and is dragging down India’s agricultural performance. It is also noteworthy that most vehement protest is coming from Punjab and not from the farmers from rest of the country. Blame Punjab’s laidback style of living, its monoculture of Paddy-Wheat and political leathergy for the current crisis. These have more to do with the present agitation than with Modi’s miscalculation about the new middleclass.
Very good, thanks.
Agri reforms are intrinsically difficult to implement. Modi has taken on the vested interests in one go directly rather than by stealth and incremental approach. Punjab has always been well organised in protecting the benefits. Modi’s assumption was that under covid pandemic situation, he could push these reforms through. But this has not happened due to various factors.
Modi is unlikely to cave in now. Also, farmers have pitched their demands in binary frame making it a difficult choice for Modi. So long as agitation remains peaceful, it can go on but the moment there is any violence, it willbe a trying time. Besides, someone can always file PIL to clear road blockade etc. If SC intervenes, it will give face saving option to the agitators. Further, as farm work picks up in next two weeks, many will return to their farms.
The article tries to explain the issue in politico ideological framework which is unnecessary.
One more Balakot or Galwan can change the scene in one day. Everyone knows that this is agitation for benefits to be continued mainly for Punjab farmers, who gobble up 90 per cent of govt subsidies and MSP from central government. So all India sympathy is likely to wane soon. It is one thing to come together for a day to shout against Modi!!
There is a broad consensus that reforms are required and indeed further reforms for increasing farmer’s income are required.
Agree almost totally
Beautifully put. Thanks.
Well written but this farmer protest is not as much by middle class but by political and financial losers who have vested interests in keeping the APMC going and pulling Modi down. It’s plain and simple.
Any reform will create gainers and losers. But for urbanisation raw food prices needs to come down and value addition needs to go up.
Fake narrative alert! A couple of thousand farmers from Punjab don’t define the national mood. This writer should stop lying and make an honest living for at least a single day.
Honest living? Very difficult when you are dependent on foreign funding and your boss is Shri Mani Shankar Aiyar’s daughter. Can anyone honestly say what good do these foreign funded think tanks do , our country?
Tu so raha hai kya? Pura world protest kar raha hai gandu