Political parties in Punjab were on Sunday engaged in their last round of exercise to influence the state’s farmers who form a chunk of the electorate that will exercise franchise at the Assembly elections tomorrow.
One fifth of the state’s total 1.70 crore voters are farmers. Politically, they function in varied strands — such as the Bhartiya Kisan Union.
Some of them have announced support to the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), while a few others have said they would vote for the Opposition Congress.
While the manifestos of all the major political parties have taken care of farmers’ interest, the Congress this time has promised free power to the community in the even of the party’s forming a government.
As for the SAD, its manifesto has guaranteed a provident fund for the state's small farmers. The ‘free power’ promise has wooed many a farmer. Kamaljit Singh, who grows wheat at his village in Patiala district, says the promise, if implemented, will hugely benefit his occupation.
“With already input costs like fertilisers going up, free power will be a big relief, given that we irrigate the fields using tube-well,” he adds.
Mohinder Singh, a progressive farmer from the same district, strikes a different note. “We should no longer be fooled by such promises,” he says. “Once a political party gains power (in Chandigarh), it tends to forget giving us power (electricity),” he adds.
Instead of giving free power to the farmers, the parties should ensure that farmers get uninterrupted supply of electricity, Mohinder Singh says.
He also believes political parties, instead of proposing such protectionist measures, should help them expose to the best global farming practices so as to enable Punjab’s farmers to become globally more competitive, he adds.
