Farmers, the largest political constituency in Madhya Pradesh, nearly brought the Mohan Yadav government to its knees recently by putting on trial ‘double engine sarkar’, a political slogan used by the BJP to argue that when the same party rules at the state and central levels, it ensures faster growth and better coordination.
Demanding 100 per cent procurement of moong (green gram) and scrapping of the e-token system for fertiliser distribution, thousands of farmers marched to the heart of the state capital, causing traffic jams and the unscheduled closure of schools over two days, after catching the BJP government off guard.
Clueless about the scale of mobilisation and unwilling to use force against its core vote bank when they gathered and surged towards Bhopal by removing barricades meant to stop them on the outskirts, the ruling party was pushed into a corner and made to strike a deal that would leave a financial burden on it.
In its bid to wriggle out of the tricky situation, the MP government had tried to blame the NDA government at the Centre for its failure to procure a large quantity of moong. At the heart of the issue is the estimated moong production of 20.16 lakh metric tonnes (LMT).
The Centre has allowed the state government to procure 4.54 LMT. Seeking a revised quota, the state pointed out that in the previous season it had procured 7.72 LMT against the target of 4.19 LMT.
Unable to get any assurance from the Yadav government that it will procure more than the quota, more than a dozen farmers’ organisations gathered under the banner of Sanyukt Kisan Morcha and announced a protest.
The BJP has been in power in the central state since 2003, except for 15 months between 2018 and 2020 when the Congress ruled it under Chief Minister Kamal Nath. When the UPA ruled the Centre from 2004 to 2014, it was common for BJP chief ministers in the state to blame it for situations like the recent one.
With the NDA ruling the Centre since 2014, the BJP chief ministers have found it difficult to accuse the Centre of injustice. In every election, the BJP, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders, seeks votes, asking the electorate to choose the same party at the State and Central levels, promising a ‘double engine sarkar’ to ensure faster growth and development.
The ‘Double Engine’ BJP Govt Faces Its Toughest Test
Early this week, the Centre not only pushed back against the MP government but also accused it of being a laggard in meeting even the old procurement target. Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, a former chief minister of MP, wrote to CM Yadav rejecting the contention that the Centre had imposed a procurement limit. Chouhan pointed out that the Centre had approved procurement of up to 25 per cent of the estimated production under the PM-AASHA guidelines and had not set any procurement limit. He said MP was the largest beneficiary of the scheme with 87 per cent procurement share in the country.
The language in the letters was cordial and, obviously, there was no mention of the “double engine sarkar’’, a term the party uses as a panacea for all problems.
Forced on the back foot, the Yadav government could end the standoff with farmers by agreeing to procure up to 60 per cent of the moong produced by each farmer and doing away with the e-token scheme. Incidentally, the e-token scheme had been introduced and endorsed by the courts to end chaos and alleged corruption in the distribution of fertilisers.
