Vice President Dhankhar bats for farmers’ rights, asks Centre to talk to protesting farmers

Vice President of India urges immediate dialogue with protesting farmers for nation's well-being at ICAR-CIRCOT event.

Wondering why there had been no dialogue with protesting farmers, Vice President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar said in Mumbai on Tuesday (December 3, 2024)that farmers in distress and agitating farmers did not augur well for the overall well-being of the nation. He was speaking at the Centenary Foundation Day of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research—Central Institute for Research on Cotton Technology (ICAR-CIRCOT).

The Vice President asked Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who was also present at the function, if any promise had been made to farmers, and said the dialogue with farmers should happen immediately. “Honourable Agriculture Minister, did the previous Agriculture Ministers make any written promises? If so, what happened to them?” the Vice President said.

“Agriculture Minister sir, every moment is critical for you. I urge you, and as the person holding the second-highest constitutional position in India, I request you to please tell me, was any promise made to the farmer, and why has it not been fulfilled? What are we doing to fulfil the promise? There was an agitation last year, and there is one this year as well, and time is passing, but we are doing nothing,” Mr. Dhankar said in a passionate appeal.

Mr. Dhankhar asked Mr. Chouhan to consider the dialogue with the farmers as a challenge that should not be considered any less than the unity of India. “We cannot fight with our own people; we cannot put them in this situation where they are left to fight on their own. We cannot hold the ideology that their struggle will be limited, and they will eventually tire out. We should not disturb the soul of India, we should not hurt its heart. Can we create a boundary between the farmer and the government? Those whom we need to embrace cannot be pushed away,” Mr. Dhankhar said

He said he had received a “balanced response” from the leader of the protesting farmers, Jagjeet Singh Dallewal. “He is associated with organisations like the the Samyukt Kisan Morcha and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, which are agitated,” the Vice President said, adding that when any government made a farmer-related promise, it should not be left incomplete. “The farmer is our respected, revered, and always venerated person. I am myself a farmer’s son, I know what the farmer goes through, and he is our provider of food,” he added.

Speaking on the minimum support price (MSP), the Vice President said he failed to understand why a formula could not be worked out in consultation with economists and think tanks that would reward farmers. He also ridiculed the argument that more of MSP would result in inflation. “Whatever price we give to the farmer, the nation will benefit five times over — there is no doubt about it. I have heard people say inflation will rise. I will say one simple thing — wheat makes bread, and the disparity is immense! Milk makes ice cream, and again, the disparity is immense. Who are those people who say that if we give our farmers a fair price for their produce...I do not understand why that would cause a disaster,” he said.

Mr. Dhankar said only a very narrow assessment would think that the farmers’ movement refers to those on the streets. “No. The son of a farmer is now an officer, the son of a farmer is now a government employee,” he said. “My pain is that the farmer and those who are his well-wishers are silent today, hesitant to speak. No force in the country can suppress the voice of the farmer. A nation will pay a huge price if it tries the patience of a farmer,” the Vice President said.