Chidambaram ignores real kisan bodies in pre-budget discussion

New Delhi, Dec 30 (UNI) Two left parties' Kisan (farmers) fronts and another farmers' body associated with ruling Congress today lambasted Finance Minister P Chidambaram for what they called ignoring the ''real'' farmers' organisations and holding pre-budget consultations with ''psuedo agriculture experts''for his convenience.

The three kisan bodies, in a joint statement, said these so-called agriculture experts were, in fact, advocates of World Bank and invariably press for implementation of its agenda in the country.

Toeing of the World Bank policies had already rendered the agriculutre an unviable profession, pauperised the rural sector and driven thousands of farmers to commit suicide.

''How the discussions with such experts could help retrieving the deteriorated farm sector of the country,'' asked Mr Atul Anjaan, General Secretary of All India Kisan Sabha a front organisation of CPI.

CPI(M)'s kisan wing leader N K Shukla also expressed similar sentiments and asked, ''How a doctor could treat a patient without proper diagnosis''.

''Those who really work with the farmers and intimately know their problems should have been consulted by the Finance Minister for finalising the budget for farmers,'' said Mr Shukla.

The third farmers organisation, Bharat Krishak Samaj(BKS), a close associate of the Congress, was also critical of Mr Chidambaram and asked,''What was the need of yesterday's excercise if the farmers leaders were not present there.'' ''Better, the Finance Minister should dispense away with those pre-budget consulations on farm sector in which the farmers have no say at all'', said BKS Chief Krishanbir Chaudhary.

Mr Chaudhary said the agriculture had come to such a passb ecause of the government's propensity to consult only so-called agriculture experts for past ten years.

The joint statement sought to remind the Prime Ministrer Manmohan Singh that during his meeting with the farmers leaders on June 28, 2004, he had promised to convene such meetings frequently to know what ailed the farm sector of the country.

But, unfortunately, that promise was not kept and even the pre-budget consultation on farm sector had become a futile excercise for past two years.

In fact, the statement said, the Finance Minister had chosen only to meet the representatives of multinational companies and projected them as ''agriculture experts''.

Mr Chidambaram yesterday met the Agriculture experts who reportedly urged the government to initiate policy measures to alleviate the sufferings of the farmers, particularly, small and marginal.

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