Sonia's lip service for farmers not enough: Left

New Delhi, May 8: Doubting Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's sincerity about the debt crisis still leading to suicides by distressed farmers in the wake of her missive to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the issue, the Left parties today asked the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government to take positive measures instead of offering 'lip service.' In seperate interviews to sources, the leaders of the Communist Party of India (CPI-M), Communist Party of India (CPI) and Forward Bloc said if she was really serious about farmers' suicides (the number has reached about 30,000 during the last eight years) in various parts of the country, she could have directed ''her own appointee'' to take care of the declining investment in agriculture, negative inflow of bank credit in comparison with the industry and higher rate of interest for farmers.

''The Congress feels that instead of opening up the agricultural and manufacturing sectors through Free Trade Agreements, more effective measures are needed to protect and strengthen the growers and manufacturers in these sectors,'' Ms Gandhi has reportedly said in a letter to Dr Singh.

Political observers hold that Ms Gandhi's letter assumes significance on two counts---first the PM's advocacy for a Pan- Asian Free Trade Agreement contradicts the Congress manifesto and that the move would lead to further disaster for the farming community. They believe that Ms Gandhi has made a pre-emptive move as the Left, which is expected to emerge stronger after the assembly polls, will put the government in the dock because farmers' suicides have not stopped though the UPA is set to complete two years in office later this month.

CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan said, ''The government must come forward to ensure that the prices of agricultural inputs are lowered. Besides, the increasing distress among the farmers is also because of the government's failure to lift their produce in time.''

In the green belt of Haryana and Punjab, the FCI has continuously failed to procure the wheat and rice which has left a free ground for speculators and holders to fleece farmers by purchasing their produce at throw-away prices, the veteran Communist leader and freedom fighter said. ''If the government is really serious about mitigating the sufferings and hardships of the farmers who constitute over 75 per cent of the country's population, it must reverse its decision about removing Quantitative Restrictions (QRs) on import of agricultural products,'' said CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury.

The Left parties had organised nationwide protests against the Vajpayee government, which had taken the decision to lift the QRs, saying it would lead to a large scale crisis because of indiscriminate imports.

''Many of our agricultural products like coffee, rubber, tea and pepper have lost the market edge because of this policy during the last few years. If the government do not come to the relief of the farmers, we wish it reconsider this policy,'' said Mr Yechury.

Senior CPI(M) leader and party Chief Whip in the Lok Sabha, Rup Chand Pal, said the Congress is in the habit of offering lip serivice to the cause of the working class. ''If it is at all serious, it must implement the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission report,'' Mr Pal said.

Referring to the ''huge support'' to their farmers by the US and the European Union where farming is a commercial activity against that in India where it is a subsistence for small and marginal farmers, Mr Pal lamented that the PM's suggestion for a Pan-Asian FTA would ''further destroy our agriculture''.

''Yes, it could make a handful richer but will pauperise the farmers and create social unrest,'' the CPI (M) leader said, He claimed that Ms Gandhi, while taking note of the Left's concern over the issue, had come up with a letter to the PM to show she was also concerned about the miserable plight of the farmers. ''We are afraid this is more for public consumption...we don't find it serious.'' ''Instead of going public about it, she should have prevailed upon the PM, who can't do anything without her knowledge and approval, she should actually have done the needful. Therefore, we don't accept it,'' said Mr Pal.

CPI National Secretary Shamim Faizi pointed out that the Minimum Support Price should not remain a ritual but become the ''real instrument'' to provide profitable prices to farmers.

However, RSP leader Abani Roy said Ms Gandhi may have realised the gravity of the situation. ''Besides, Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab are due early next year. The plight of farmers in Punjab is so well known.''

UNI