THE FARMERS AssocIATIONS

cONTEN OUTLINE

DEFINITION OF PEASANTRY
IMPAC7
OR THE BRITISH RULE ON INDIAN PEASANTRY
.RURAL
UNREST IN INDIA
Revolts in the
Nineteenth Century
Deasant Troubles in 20th Century Pre-Independence Period
RORMATION OF THE FARMERS ASSOCLATIONS

Economic Crisis of 1930s

All-India Kisan Sabha

Ministries during 1937-1939

Congress
PERIOD: PEASANT MOVEMENTS AND
POST-INDEPENDENCE
FARMERS ASSOCIATIONS
Multinational Companies
Globalisation and the Arrival of
OF THE PEASANTRY
PSYCHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS WEAKER
KISAN MOVEMENT REMANED
REASONS WHY THE

crises and changes in gOvernment

survived all
c o m m u n i t y had
characteristics
main
lage times. The
and that took place in medieval centuries were
'economic

ration 19th
ofthe village communityof the late 18th and early of
self-government'
called

system
elf-sufficiency' and a highly
organised
Jadunath
Sarkar, "little republics
independent
anchayatsS
n e villages
were, to quote
themselves
and almost
untouched

aving nearly ngthey

c a n want
within
structure,
so tosay,
remained

ny foreia
ny foreign relations The village
by "the dlons."

Storm clouds of the political sky

 284 Democracy and Governance in India

DEFINITION OF PEASANTRY
In
Indian contexts most of the writers have used the terms
'peasant' and
tarmer interchangeably. The word 'Farm' denotes an area of land used for
growing crops and rearing animals. So, the farmers or "the peasantry
of small consists
agricultural producers who, with the help of simple equipments and the
labour of their families,
produce mainly for their own consumption and for the
fulfilment of the obligation to the holders of
political power of the time." The
"holders of political power" implied Government and administration who
a part of the
recetved
land-produce through taxation. We usually called it land revenue
In course of time there took
place
many changes in the mode of
agricultural
production. Asmarkets expanded there emerged many classes
among the rural
society-the rich, middle and poor peasants. In daily conversation the
exact
equivalent the term 'farmer' or 'peasant' is kisan in northern India and
of
in many nyot
regions of the south.
IMPACT OF THE BRITISH RULE ON INDIAN PEASANTRY
As British rule spread
gradually, it brought with it a new class of Zamindars
and a lot of poverty and
misery, especially in rural India. The impact of the
British rule on
village community may be studied under the following headings
Land Revenue Policy
There were three major systems of land revenue : (a) Permanent Settlement.
(b) the Ryotwari System, and (c the Mahalwari
System. The Zamindars or
landlords had so far been only revenue collectors. But the
of Lord Cornwallis in 1793
Permanent Settlement
recognised Zamindars as owners or
proprietors of
the land. They acted as
agents of the Government for collection of revenue from
the peasants, who became their tenants.
They kept one-tenth of the revenues for
themselves and paid 9/10 of the same to the
pay the land revenue, even if the crops failed for
Company. The cultivators had to
some reason orthe other. They
were now at the
mercy of the Zamindars, who had the power to throw them out
of their holdings for non-payment of dues and
on one
pretext or another.
Moreover, the Zamindars did not take much interest
in the
lands. They became absentee landlords development of their
town on the
living at Kolkata or some other
major
income derived from the
peasants.
The Permanent Settlement' remained
restricted to Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.
In Bombay Presidency and
parts of Southern India the
prevailed. It was the °Ryots' or the cultivators who 'Ryotwari System
owned the land and paid
revenue directly to the government. But the
condition of the cultivators was no
better for the simple reason that the
government had the right to enhance the
land revenue. Moreover, the revenue officers
were strict in
revenue collection.
he Farmers Associations

ost half of
olf of the net
produce was claimed 285
the
Under the
'Mahalwari System' as
land
(the word Mahal revenue.
uas
venue w
revenilies.
r e v e
as
charged on the village meant a
collected through the whole or an estate heldvillage)
as a
Tt was coll
It was the land
allage.
vi
that
It was
prevalent parts of
in
village offlclal or some
by a
group of

United Provinces (present Uttar Central India, the representative of

nact of the Land RevenuePradesh) and Punjab Gangetic Valley. the
d sed ((0 impoverish Policy : The land revenue
impoverishment
ctivity. (iv)
of the
peasantry, (i0 little policy,
investment in land. (it low
in brief.
indebtedness of the
psfrom
raders from whom they peasants,
borTOwed money and to and (u) their
being fleeced by
produce at whatever price they could
whom they had to sell their
get.
Ruin of Trade and Handicrafts
The British rulers
deliberately crippled Indian arts and crafts.
Indian silk and cotton textiles sent to
Britain-70 and 80 per cent Heavy duties
on

destroved those industries. On the other hand, British respectively-

India at a nominal duty. By goods were
the middle of the 19th imported into
silk goods from India practically ceased. The arts of
century, export of cotton and
for ages had given employment to thousands of spinning
and weaving which
artisans became extinct.
India became Agricultural Colony of the British
an

India was being governed with British interests in

view. Bihar. Bengal and
Awadh emerged as major
producers of export crops such as jute, opium and
indigo. British companies managed this export trade. The manufacturers in
England required other raw materials also such as cotton and oilseeds for their
indjustries. They did all that they could to keep India mainly an agricultural
cOuntry. This made India an agricultural colony of British capitalism.
inhuman Treatment meted out to Indigo Cultivators
in 1833 the Englishmen were permitted to acquire land and settle down as

Panters in India. The indigo trade was highly profitable to the planters. But the

Otions under which the peasants had to work were far from being human.
The peasan were forced to cultivate indigo and nothing else in the ields
chos by the Their "crops were wantonly destroyed by the
sen English planters.
plante
CTS, their houses burnt and their cattle carried off as plunder."
Big Famines
Life a s hard even in vears of normal crops.
w
When famines came, they

brought to the people unbounded misery. People had

heir cattle and pe
to dispose of their land.
were instances of
food. There
the household goods to procure
ers na
Dothere
moth food. The big famine of
ong away their children for a few days'
 U india

Countrywide Famine in 1896-97

"The precarious economic condition of the people was made manifest when there
recurred a series of scarcities and fanines during the last quarter of the nineteenth
century. Some of them caused starvation and death on an unprecedented scale. for
example, the famines of 1876-78, 1896-98, 1899-1900." -Tara Chand

1837-38 made people to desert their villages and wander in search of food.
Famines were, no doubt, the result of drought or other natural calamities.
Sometimes the swarms of locusts ate the entire crop. The government could
lessen people's misery, but it seemed that it had no wil to act.

RURAL UNREST IN INDIA

The peasants had genuine grievances, such as increased land revenue,
eviction from land, the exploiting landlords, indebtedness and decline of rural
crafts. As a result, there had been numerous revolts against the tyranny of the
rulers and exploiting landlords.
Revolts in the Nineteenth Century
Some major peasant revolts which flared up in the 19th century were as
under
1. Santhal Rebellion and Tribal Unrest: As a result of the Permanent
Settlement, Santhal parganas (areas) of Bengal. Bihar and Orissa were overnight
turned over to the Zamindars. There was also an influx of outsiders-the land
grabbers and the Mahajans (moneylenders)-into the tribal areas. Once a Santhal
took a loan from the mahajan, he became his kamiya, ie., the bonded labour.
The outsiders gradually acquired more and more lands through mortgages for
loans.
 The Farmers Associations
287

The Zamindars, the police and

moneylenders, all of them combined and
biected the Santhals to undue oppression
subjecte
and
land nds, The Santhals took to open rebellion in Julyforcible dispossession of thefr
1855. Their revolt spread to
airbhum. Bhagalpur, Hazaribagh and
Monghyr. The revolt was finally crushed
bythe
hy 1 use of massive force. But the rulers were now forced policy
to review their
towards tribals. The Santhal parganas were constituted into a separate district
to
and placed under the charge of a Deputy Commissioner.
The Santhal revolt was followed by tribal unrest in Dhanbad in 1870. In
1887 the Munda and other tribals of Ranchi area started an agitation against
18
arbitrary enhancement of land revenue by Zamindars.
2. The Indigo Revolt, 1860 The indigo revolt was directed against British
nlanters in Bengal. The cultivators wanted to give up indigo-growing. but the
British planters torced them to grow indigo in place of other crops. In April 1860
the cultivators refused to sow indigo, which probably became the first instance
of "organised non-cooperation" in the history of Indian peasantry. After the
victory of the peasants of Bengal, indigo cultivation was forced out of Bengal to
some districts of UP and Bihar.
3. The Deccan Disturbances (Maratha Uprising) : Peasant unrest had
been growing in the Deccan (Maharashtra and Gujarat) for quite some time.
There was a draught for two years consecutively (1867 and 1868). The failure of
monsoon rains caused a terrible famine in 1875. The ryots had no capacity to
pay land revenue. They turned to moneylenders to save themselves from eviction.
Their debt burden became very heavy. The moneylenders converted promissory
farmers' lands with the help of
notes into mortgage deeds and started grabbing
court decrees.
burnt their
TheMaratha peasants rose against the moneylenders. They
crushed the revolt with
1ouses and destroyed mortgage deeds. The government
all its might. Later the Deccan Agrarian Agriculturists Relief Act of 1879 gave
eviction from land.
SOme protection to the peasants against
failure. The government sought to
The above uprisings did not end in total
interest rates.
a r d the practice of lending money at excessive

Period
Feasant Troubles in 20th Century Pre-Independence
movement had affected all sections
Early in the 20th century the Swadeshi
ol
soctety including workers and peasants. 1907 the troubles in Punjab were
In
. Agrarian Troubles in Punjabrevenue and irrigation rates. The meetings
largy due to unwise increase in land
(now in Pakistan) in April 1907 to protest
neld at Lyallpur and Rawalpindi workers gathered
inst the hnea A large number of peasants and
Stthe heavy increase.
on May 2. 1907. As the
near
ne the co
court District Magistrate, Rawalpindi
of the
 Democracy and Goverrance in India
288

District Magistrate did not arrive, the crowd became unruly. They damaged
some houses of Europeans. The situation later improved mainly owing to the
withdrawal of the Colonization Bill which had altered the agreements made
farmers.
regarding the possession of reclaimed lands by the
2. Peasant's Struggle in Champaran and Khair (Kheda): in 1917 Mahatma
Gandhi took up the cause of the indigo cultivators of the Champaran district in
Bihar. A campaign was launched against the English indigo-planters. It marked
the first victory in India of the weapon of Sattyagraha devised by Gandhi. The
government appointed an Inquiry Committee with Gandhi as one of its members,
On the basis of the Committee's Report a Bill was enacted in 1918, calied the
Champaran Agrarian Act which allowed the tenants to hold their lands free from
any obligation to grow indigo.
Gandhis next involvement was in the Kheda district of Gujarat where the
cultivators were hard hit by failure of crops. They demanded reduction in the
land revenue. Gandhi asked the farmers to resort to Satyagraha and not to pay
land revenue to the government. British imperialism in India was financed
mainly by land revenues. The government yielded to public pressure. Vallabhbhai
Patel was so impressed by the Gandhian technique that he became Gandhi's
lifelong companion and trustworthy follower.
3. Peasant Struggles during Non-cooperation Movement of 1920-22:
Gandhi was now the great force of the nation. The Non-cooperation Movement
naturally influenced the rural masses also. The peasant upsurge in Awadh
gradually spread to vast regions of Pratapgarh, Rai Bareli and Sultanpur. The
peasants from Pratapgarh complained of the crushing exactions of the Talhuqdars
(big landlords) and invited Congress leaders to their villages. Jawaharlal Nehru
who visited Pratapgarh found "the whole countryside afire with enthusiasm and
full of extreme excitement." There were many clashes with the police in which
a number of villagers lost their lives.
Karnataka and Andhra : There were incidents of no-revenue campaign in

Guntur district of Karnataka also. Non-cooperation Movement then spread to

Andhra under the leadership of T. Prakasham and Pattabhi Sitaramayya.

Malabar: The non-violent Non-cooperation Movement was marred by violence
in Malabar region. The Moplah Muslim peasants killed moneylenders ana
landlords who were mostly Hindu Brahmins. The government tried to gve
Moplah rebellion a communal colour. but many historians are of the opinion
that the agitation though "religious in form" was basically economic in content.
It arose out of agrarlan grievances and tenants' demand that the lands they
tilled should be given over to them.
4. Bardoli Campaign : The trouble at Bardoli in Gujarat broke out in 1928.
The farmers were agitated about an inerease in land revenue at a time when
 o Parmers ASSOCIalons

he

289
e had been declining.
o t t o np r i c e s

ottohai They started a no-tax

Vallabhbhai, Patel's leadership. Patel made it campalgn in 1928 under
Tndia's clear that the
to d o w i t h

oredress political struggle and that the campalgn had nothing

dotheir own grievances.
their own
They bravely faced farmers had to
confiscation lands and property. At last government's struggle
to
of
ncuular
includi.

repression
ressure. ItIt held an
pressure. the
official inquiry into government ylelded to
ppuiry Committee
The
nquiry Committ declared that conditions of the cultivators.
land revenue could
ced.
ced.
enha
The
The confisca
confiscated lands and
property were
not be
arbitrarily
restored to the farmers.
FORMATION OF THE
FARMERS ASSOCIATIONS
It uras after the Non-cooperation Movement
that the need for
orGanisations was felt. In 1920s Kisan Sabhas independent
ahra UP. Punjab and Bengal. In 1927 the
Andh began to be formed in
nd Lahore decided to amalgamate their workers and peasants of
Amritsar
separate
The Andhra Provincial Ryots Association was organisations with each other.
formed in 1928. In the
a Workers and Peasants Party was started in UP.
same year
Economic Crisis of 1930s
The world
economic crisis of 1930s hit
agricultural produces fell suddenly and peasantry most severely. Prices of
industrial countries were hard hit. So sharply.
To quote Jawaharlal
Nehru, "al1
also were
supplied food-stuffs or raw materials for industriesagricultural countries which
to the world market.
India's industries suffered to Thus
some extent, but far
to the
agricultural class
greater suffering was caused
rent to
by the fall in
prices... The peasantry had to pay their
their landlord or revenue to the
ney had to sell their government in cash, and to get this cash
produce. Prices were so
extraordinarily low that they could
Oraise
enough
money sometimes even by selling all the stuff
OOuced. And often they were turned out they had
of their lands and their mud huts,
Even their few
household goods were auctioned to
e
economic crisis increased provide the rent."
greatly the typical burdens of Indian
peasantry-their indebtedness, alienation of land and further fragmentation of
ndholdings.
1ngs. It was under these circumstances that the movement to form
Wa
Was
Ons
gathered momentum. The Madras Presidency Ryots Association
formed
in 1935. Swami
Sahajananda Saraswati could mobilise Bihar
Peasantry
shot under the banner of Bihar Kisan Sabha.
By 1935 its membership
LO more than eighty thousand. In 1935 a Kisan Sabha was tormed in UP
also.Itsgave
C aa
call for the total abolition of the Zamindari
system.

Jawaharlal Nehru, Glimpses of World History. 1949, pp. 877-78.

 Democracy and Goveriance in Indi
290

All-India Kisan Sabha

By now Kisan Sabhas had sprung up in other parts of the country also
SO,
such as Bengal and Punjab. The Congress Socialist Party and other left-wine
groups had brought about a phenomenal awakening among the peasants and
ing
workers in India. Through the efforts of Indulal Yagnik, N.G. kanga and Swami
Sahajananda. the first All-India Kisan Congress (which later acted under the
name of All- India Kisan Sabha) met at Lucknow in 1936. It adopted a Resolution
saying that "the object of the kisan movement is to secure complete freedom from
economic exploitation and achievement of economic and political power to the
peasants and workers and other exploited classes."
For the first time in the history of the Indian people, A.R. Desai said, "an
all-India organisation of the Indian peasantry came into existence with a
programme of common demands and expressing the aspirations of the entire
kisan community of this vast land... The All-India Kisan Sabha carried on wide
educative and propaganda work among the Indian kisans."i Later it became an
integral part of India's Independence Movement. By 1938 its membership had
reached 5,50.000.

Congress Ministries during 1937-1939

The formation of Congress Ministries in 1937 gave great stimulus to peasant
organisations. The Congress, in its Manifesto, had held out hopes of "reforming
the system of land-tenure, giving immediate relief to the smaller peasantry by a
substantial reduction of agricultural rent and providing cheap credit facilities by
the State to the farmers." But there was no immediate relief by way of substantial
reduction in rents. As a result, there was frustration among the cultivators.
They organised a number of meetings to bring pressure on Congress governments
to fulfil their promises to revive agricultural economy. In UP and Bihar there
were almost open revolts. The pace of progress was slower than expected and
the Congress Ministries "did very little either to provide the cultivators with
State credit for productive agricultural
purposes or to develop the cooperative
system." However, a series of Moneylenders or Debtors' Relief Acts were passed
by all Congress Ministries.

POST-INDEPENDENCE PERIOD : PEASANT MOVEMENTS AND

FARMERS ASSOCIATIONSs
After Independence it was expected that the majority in rural India would

1. A.R. Desai, 'Social Background of Indian Nationalism, 1998, p. 193.

2. R.C. Majumdar,"Struggle Jor Freedom', Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's History and Culture o
the Indian People. Volume XI, 1988, p. 601.
 Farmers
sociations
Asso

The 291
worthy of
dignity and respect. However, this did
life worthy
a
lIne

nnbitious programme
a m b i t i o u s

of land reforms and

happen. Despite
not happen. Despe
rural development, bureaucratic
an
n
aes and lack of will on the part of
procedi
political parties blunted
the
p
of
most
ofthe developmental schemes. objecuve
Struggle by Peasant
Armed
Peasants discontent manitested itself in an
armed struggle in Telengana
betweenaen 1948 and 1951. The revolt was led
1948
by the CPI. The goals of this
beent incuded:
ovement inclu. (0 distribution of fallow land to
agricultural labourers.
eeClurity of land tenure, and (iü guarantee of minimum wages for the
aoss Workers. By 1951 the Telangana Movement had been put down.
The Naxalite Movement of West Bengal was led by Charu Majumdar. This
Movement began
Movement began in 1967 and gradually spread to other parts of the country.
ralite vioience in West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh was directed
Naxa
ainst Zamindars or rich landlords. The West Bengal Government stamped out
aga
the rebellion over a period of years. But the Naxalites continued terrorizing parts
of Bihar. Andhra Pradesh. Jharkhand and Chhatisgarh.
Farmers' Movements in 1970s and 1980s

Since 1970s the farmers associations have been demanding higher prices
for agricultural produces, free electricity, cheap credit facilities and subsidies for
fertilisers and purchase of tractors, etc. Important among the associations that
had sprung up were the Bharatiya Kisan Union in Utar Pradesh. the Shetkari
Sangathan in Maharashtra and the Karnataka Rajya Ryot Sangh. The agitation
in Maharashtra was led by Sharad Joshi. In 1987 the farmers in Uttar Pradesh
held a big rally at Shamli (in Muzaffarnagar district) under the leadership of
Mahender Singh Tikait. On October 2, 1989 a massive Panchayat of Kisans and
Jawans was held at the Boat Club grounds in New Delhi.

Globalisation and the Arrival of Multinational Companies

With the introduction of the New Industrial Policy in 1991. Foreign Direct
Investment (FDI) in many areas is now well accepted.
ne larmers are afraid that even farming activity might come under the

Control of multinational companies. On April 1, 2001 Quantitative Restrictions

S o n the import of nearly 700 goods had to be removed under increasing

ressure from World Trade Organisation (WTO). The list of the goodscoconut
freed irom
oil,
rice, milk, creamy cheese products, cottee, lea,
ncuded wheat,
iruits, vegetables. etc.
C aeveloped countries are seeking access to Indian agricultural market by
ndia to reduce tariffs on agricultural products. Much will depend on
hhoww Our
our political leaders s t e e r the nation towards growth in the economy. At
292 Democracy arnd Governance in India

WTO meeting in Geneva in 2004 our Commerce and Industry Minister contended
that a huge agricultural subsidy was being given to the farmers in developed
countries. Therefore. these countries could not seek access to Indian market on
the basis of artificial prices of thcir agricultural products.

Acquisition of Farm Land for Industrialisation

West Bengal's Chief Minister had a plan to build an industrial hub in
Nandigram in East Midnapore. The Government acquired land for a Speciai
Economic Zone to be developed by the Indonesia-based Salim Group. There was
a fierce agitation to the land acquisition policy. The crisis came to a head when
on the orders of the Left Front Government police opened fire killing many
people in March 2007. Similarly, the Nano Car Project alienated the then Chief
Minister Bhattacharya from the rural masses. His decision sent signals to the
people that he was pro-industrialists and anti-farmers. And at last, the Tatas
moved the Car Project out of Singur (West Bengal) in 2008. In February 2011
the agitated farmers blocked construction work on Yamuna Express way between
Greater Noida and Agra. They sought greater compensation for the land acquired
for the road as well as other developmental projects.
These controversies showed abuses of power on the part of the government
Industries and infrastructure facilities would. no doubt, rejuvenate country's
economy. But the farmers and other rural people who have been deprived of
their land. deserved proper compensation from government. On 7 March, 2011

Farmers protesting Land Acquisition polícies and seeking greater compensation for
the land acquired in Greater Noida for developmental projects (23 February, 2011)
 The Parmers Associations

293
Gupreme
the Supreme Court quashed the UP Government's
he landowners) in Shahjahanpur,
the order to acqutre
qulre land (without
hearing

ne
The Court ruled that any Azamgarh, (witiou
Court rule
attempt by the State to Jaunpur and Moradabad.
Moradapa
lar group of acquire
ire land "to
"to benefit
beneit aa
partic people or to serve
any specific interest" cannot be defined as
"public p u r p o s e . "

Loan W
Loan Waiver and Farm Credit Policy
Carmer suicides in Vidarbh region of
cOuntry
Maharashtra and
some other paris of
grim reminder of the failures
are a
of our rulers to build a more
mane Society. Despite growth, hunger continued
to
itigens of the country according to the Global Hunger stalk over 300 million
Waiver and Debt Relief Schemes could bring immense Index-2010. Agriculture
relief to farmers
eed with ruinous droughts. Moreover, banks should be
face
directed to advance
pdit
Cred. to small
and marginal farmers at low interest rates. It
that the Union Finance Minister had raised the
was very encouraging
target for loan disbursal to the
farmers from Rs. 3,75,000 crore in 2010-11 to Rs. 4,75,000 crore in 2011-12.

Job Plan falls Short of Targets

The battle for peasantry is hard and long. The problems faced by rural
society are mainly a result of uneven and unbalanced growth in the economy.
Many programmes, such as Grammen Rozgar Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya
Yojana and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme
were initiated at the national level but operated through the State governments
Therefore. there should be greater coordination between States and the Union
Government on the one hand and bureaucrats and political leaders on the
other. In 2010 the Planning Commission had found that the Rural Employment
Guarantee Scheme had fallen short ofits targets. As many as 15 States including
West Bengal, Kerala and Bihar had performed poorly as compared to the States
of Rajasthan, Mizoram and Nagaland. Kerala was able to provide work to the
rural households for only 22 days in a year, whereas West Bengal provided 26
aay's of work. The Commission also expressed concern about the slow pace ot
work in tribal areas of Jharkhand, Assam and Andhra Pradesh where Left-Wing
Extremism is growing
PEASANTRY
PSYCHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE
REMAINED WEAKER
REASONS WHY THE KISAN MOVEMENT
that the Kisan Movement remained
he previous chapter we explained There are three
Weaker Trade Union Movement.
mat India as compared to the the kisans feel
in
in
attached to the land they
tmain reasons
asons for that. In the first place,
till and sow. in their attitude to life. The
Sow. They, therefore. are 'conservative'
or
Workers on the other hand, do not own
much of property. A worker has a
 294 Democracy arnd overnarIce in
Indin
dash and can identify himself with the proletariat and their struggles.
Secondiy. agriculture mainly depends for its attainments on "natural fore
such as good rains". This tends to make farmers belleve in superstitions, magic
forces
ghosts. etc. They show submissive behaviour as against the workers who ave
to struggle for their emancipation.
Thirdly. it is very difficult to organise the peasants, because the village
remain far-flung and cut off from each other. As against that, In big industrial
rial
cities like Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Kolkata thousands of workers can assemble
together in no time.

Farming is not so easy. A farmer Agriculture is the backbone of the

sprays Insecticides on a Vegetable field Nation's ecnomy, Livelihoods of nearly
near Kolkata, West Bengal. two-thirds of the Indians lie in the
agricultural fields.

Let us Sum up: Kisan Politics be

can a Dangerous Double-edged Sword
Politicians are quite pleased to announce
free water and free electricity 1or
poor farmers. They also announced loan waiver schemes to pile up the votes o
the rural populace. Such 'freebies' are not feasible because all practically Staes
are bankrupt. Maharashtra Government had to give up in the past the idea o
free power' to farmers. Kisan politics can be a
dangerous double-edged sword:
while it can temporarily provide
votes for some politicians, it can also
become a source of despair and quitical
dejection. It can be dangerous for pon
parties to raise farmers' expectations to a high pitch at election time and
not to deliver the goods. The u a
principle "populist democracy" has beco
of
threat to efficiency and good governance both.