Narendra Modi And The Incalculable Suffering Of Indians

Vijoo Krishnan

Six years ago, as India went into the elections a propaganda blitzkrieg was made around the image of Narendra Modi who was sold as the deliverer of Indian people from all that had failed the nation till then. Corporate media and the Sangh Parivar refashioned the Nero of Gujarat as a “Vikas Purush” and hyped up a “Gujarat Model” turning the dusty lanes of the State to Shanghai with the click of a button and Photoshop. It was touted as “The Vision India Awaits” and loudly proclaimed: “More jobs, lower inflation, higher income, faster growing economy, better education, better safety, better life”. This was followed up with a high pitched campaign with ample support from the corporate media promising the stars to the people reeling under poverty, unemployment, agrarian crisis, price rise and corruption under the Congress-led UPA-II Government. They had raised hopes of different sections with attractive promises, a consistent advertisement campaign funded by the corporate monopolies and ample help from the corporate media. The BJP Manifesto and campaign came up with attractive promises and created an illusion of bounty with the claim achhe din ayenge or good days would come. Narendra Modi himself led the charge effectively weaving an illusion of impending achhe din for all, fifteen lakh into everyone’s account, doubling farmers’ incomes, two crore jobs would be created for youth every year, farmers would get har khet ko paani (water to every field) and one and a half times the cost of production as the price for their crops, an end to price rise and atrocities on women, better wages and a wonderland where farmers would no longer be forced to commit suicide.  Sab Ka Saath Sab Ka Vikas (a government with everyone that would usher in development for everyone) would be the approach and all States would benefit from cooperative federalism it was claimed. The campaign and lucrative promises helped them to successfully lure a section of the peasantry and the poor. The effort was to sell a dream to every person and many actually bought it.

The tragedy that unfolded over the five years from 2014-2019 saw more than 60,000 farmers in distress committing suicide as per the conservative estimates of the Government, unemployment at a 45 year high, sale of profit making Public Sector Undertakings, incessant price rise, loss of incomes for workers and peasantry. For the first time ever PSUs like BSNL, HAL etc. were unable to pay wages to workers and thousands were forced to opt for VRS. Demonetisation hit farmers and all toiling masses badly and prices of all crops crashed after this disastrous decision. Thousands were rendered unemployed, indebtedness increased and hunger deaths also were reported. Prices of agricultural inputs, essential goods, petrol and diesel have also risen incessantly. The GST has also hit the workers, the peasantry and rural poor badly. All measures of the Narendra Modi-led BJP were aimed at aiding corporate profiteering at the expense of the people. Five years of BJP rule under Narendra Modi has effectively derailed agriculture the “engine of India’s economic growth” as the BJP Manifesto called it.  Attractively branded schemes like Make In India, Start Up India, Stand Up India came a cropper and failed to make things look up. The number of wilful defaulters in nationalised banks increased by over 60 per cent, touching 8,582 in five years and top fifty among them had caused write-offs of around Rs.68,600 crores. Lakhs of crores of concessions were also given to the corporate companies. The Ambanis, Adanis and their ilk increased their wealth while the workers and peasants were in distress.  Economic recession loomed large due to the promotion of crony capitalism and agrarian crisis was also acute. Yet using a potent cocktail of xenophobic ultra-nationalism post the Pulwama-Balakot developments, communal polarisation and propaganda aided by corporate media, huge electoral spending reportedly over Rs.27,000 crores an image of invincibility was recreated around the persona of Narendra Modi. This aided a second coming for the BJP under Narendra Modi with an increased mandate.

The Second Act: A Farce on the People

Karl Marx in his Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte paraphrased Hegel to say history repeats itself, the first time as tragedy and the second time as farce. The second coming of Narendra Modi led BJP has in just one year proved to be a farce enacted on the people of India. The first year of the second coming of the BJP Government led by Narendra Modi has seen an even more aggressive pursuit of Neoliberal Economic policies. The Indian economy plunged deeper into a recession, people lost jobs and unemployment continued to increase. The GDP growth rate for 2019-20 was at a eleven year low of 4.2 per cent. Millions of jobs were lost in the textile industry, automobile industry as well as in the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Sector.  Over 93,000 employees of BSNL and MTNL were forced to quit opting for Voluntary Retirement Scheme. No new jobs were being created and also rural employment generation through MGNREGA was in a dismal situation. Agrarian distress continued unabated and farm suicides continued to remain high. Yet the BJP Government was pursuing Free Trade Agreements (FTA) with countries like USA, European Union and the Mega FTA called Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership with ASEAN countries, China, Australia, New Zealand etc. Pursuing the policies of the earlier regime Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) was allowed into all sectors. While this has been the case of the economy, the BJP Government went ahead with the hard-core Sangh Parivar agenda and sought to divert attention by abrogation of Article 370, bringing the polarising Citizenship (Amendment) Act, criminalisation of Triple Talaq and unleashing the most brutal attack on democratic protests. Communal attacks increased and voices of dissent were suppressed by unleashing repressive action. It is in such a context that the COVID-19 pandemic struck the world and also affected India.

Ruling Class Apathy Amidst The Pandemic and Distress of the Masses

The world is facing an extraordinary health situation which has had a cascading effect on the economy, the politics and social life of every country. COVID 19 Pandemic has brought India also to the brink of probably the biggest challenge in recent times. The COVID-19 Pandemic and Lockdown have further exposed the fragility of the neoliberal model and farmers as well as workers are among the worst hit. Millions of toiling masses-the peasantry, agricultural workers, migrant workers and oppressed sections are threatened not just by the virus alone but by loss of livelihoods, loss of incomes, unemployment, poverty and hunger. The unplanned, unscientific and abrupt lockdown has destroyed both the economy and the livelihood of a large majority of our people.  Already a huge fall in the GDP growth rate ranging from (-) 3.2 per cent to (-) 6.8 per cent are being predicted by different international agencies. An agency also asserts that India will suffer the biggest GDP loss of 11 per cent due to the pandemic. This is nearly double of the loss of Latin America and Africa together and 5-6 times of the rest of Asia.

• Millions of footloose workers are forced to flee their places of work to their villages in an exodus that has not been seen since the partition. The Government seemed oblivious of the existence of the millions of workers who make great contribution to build infrastructure, perform agricultural activities, provide services, keep urban spaces clean and perform numerous other tasks. The abandonment of this large section and absence of any plan for them led to an unprecedented situation wherein they had to flee on foot like refugees in their own land. Many were stranded in different States and left to fend for themselves without job or food. For a long period no arrangements of transport or food were made. The killing of 16 workers on the railway tracks in Aurangabad, Maharashtra as well as 26 workers in road accident at Auraiya in Uttar Pradesh add to the more than thousand others who have died due to starvation, walking long distances and distress suicides due to the punitive lockdown. Amidst such a situation the BJP Government seeks to repeal the Interstate Migrant Workmen Act 1979, thereby removing whatever little legal protection such workers have. 

• The pandemic has further increased distress of the working class whose situation was already precarious due to the economic crisis. ILO has estimated that half the workers globally would lose their jobs; in India around 40 crore workers are estimated to be pushed into poverty. The unplanned lockdown has seen loss of jobs and rising unemployment. According to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) between April and May, the unemployment rate shot up from 23.5 per cent to 27.1 per cent. In comparison to the average employment in 2019-20 in the first month of the lockdown there was a 30 per cent fall from 40.4 crores to 28.2 crores in April, 2020 which is a huge fall of 12.2 crores. Daily wage labourers, informal sector workers, small traders and such sections account for the maximum of people losing employment. Workers from these sections averaged 12.8 crores during 2019-20.  By April end, this fell to just 3.7 crores, indicating a massive loss of more than 9 crore livelihoods in just one month of whom close to 2 crore are reported to be women.  23 per cent of those working in large enterprises with fixed assets have lost their jobs, falling from from 7.8 crores in 2019-20 to 6 crores in April 2020.  The number of salaried employees, from 8.6 crores in 2019-20 fell to 6.8 crores in April 2020, i.e., one out of every five salaried employee lost employment. Nearly 2.7 crores youth in the age group of 20 to 29 have lost jobs and 3.3 million in the age group of 30 to 39 lost their jobs.  As the lockdown has been relaxed while small traders and informal sector workers returned to their jobs earnings are yet to return. Huge number of people returning to agricultural activity with incomes drying up in other sectors as well as increase in workers in agriculture point to disguised unemployment as well as the crisis of livelihood.

• A harvesting and marketing crisis was created due to shortage of labour for harvesting operations, for managing harvesters, for loading and unloading of produce, absence of transportation facilities, restrictions on vehicles, high-handed manner of implementation of the lockdown, disruption in procurement of foodgrains, collection of harvest by traders, restricted access to Mandis or Markets. The lockdown came at a time when the farmers were expecting a bumper wheat harvest and harvest of other rabi crops was also expected to be good. Wheat acreage increased touching about 33 million hectares compared to 29.6 million hectare last year, which is about 11 percent higher. In the three phases of lockdown covering 2247 Mandis/Markets from 32 States and Union Territories found that the total arrival of wheat in the market was 38 percent less or 53 lakh tonnes lesser than arrivals in the same period last year. Reports from Uttar Pradesh suggest that since 15th April, 2020 the state Government opened 5,831 purchasing centres with the target of procuring 55 lakh tonnes of wheat. However, in 22 days on an average one purchasing centre has purchased wheat only from 33 farmers, implying from less than two farmers per day clearly pointing to the bitter truth that standing crops are not yet harvested fully and even what has been harvested has not reached the Mandis/Market. Marketing of perishables like milk, fish, vegetables, fruits and flowers have all been adversely affected. Poultry farmers have suffered huge losses. Milk prices have fallen Rs.10-15 per litre. Tomatoes are fetching not even Rs.2/Kg. grape growers are estimated to have suffered losses of over 1000 crores in Maharashtra alone. Wheat prices in in Madhya Pradesh saw fall in prices to Rs.1600/Quintal. Chicken prices had fallen to Rs.25/Kg from around Rs.90/Kg. Shortage of seeds and inputs for next season as well as unavailability of labour has almost brought to a standstill the sowing of pre-kharif rice, maize, rajma and other short duration crops. Farmers are forced to abandon their entire crop of cauliflower, cabbage, musk melon, flowers and grapes in many regions. Sericulture farmers are not finding buyers for silk cocoons. The crisis-ridden jute industry, workers and jute farmers, small tea-growers as well as plantation workers are all in acute distress. Absence of workers for harvesting of sugarcane, milling of pulses, rice and such activities also is hampering these operations. In the Tribal areas in addition to the threat of malnutrition, starvation and lack of health facilities there is the problem of being unable to collect or market Minor Forest Produce like honey, mahua, tendu leaves etc. An already deprived marginalised section has been further deprived of their meagre earnings. Unseasonal rains, menace of stray cattle and wild animals also has caused destruction of standing crops.

• Agricultural workers were deprived of work in harvesting operations as well as under the MGNREGA. Rather than strengthen and expand the MGNREGA to 200 days with higher wages, the BJP Government is undermining the Act by not releasing adequate funds on the one hand and on the other floating non-statutory schemes in the name of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana. In a reflection of the deep crisis, in April and May there was an unprecedented 8.4 crore workers demanding work under MGNREGA. However, shockingly about 1.8 crore workers were denied. Even the so called “Stimulus” package addition of Rs.40,000 crores is grossly inadequate, given that when the Government should have allotted at least Rs. 2,46,000 crores it had only set aside Rs.90,000 crores for the entire year.

• When the workers, the peasantry and all toiling masses have suffered huge losses of incomes, the retail inflation crossed the Reserve Bank’s 6 per cent barrier touching 6.1 per cent. Food price inflation also touched 7.3 per cent while the main source of protein, pulses, grew by 16.7 per cent; milk and dairy products by 8.4 per cent; meat and fish by 16.2 per cent.  Even vegetables, despite being a perishable commodity, have seen becoming costlier by 2 per cent. The steep fall in global prices of crude oil in normal course improves India’s manoeuvrability to address an economic recession. However, the BJP Government’s decision to increase the excise duty on fuel betrays an attempt to appropriate for itself the benefits that may have otherwise accrued to the citizens. This is adding to the burden of the people who are already strapped of funds due to loss of incomes. Massive hike in prices of petrol, diesel and cooking gas have been made continuously for 16 consecutive days.  During the period of lockdown, excise duties on petroleum products were hiked massively to garner greater revenues for the government.  When the BJP Government assumed office in 2014, the excise duty on diesel was Rs. 2.56 per litre.  It is now Rs. 31.83. Likewise for petrol, it increased from Rs. 9.40 to Rs. 32.98.  For two consecutive months, LPG cylinder prices were increased by Rs. 5 per cylinder. 

• Thus, in times of an economic recession and a persistent agrarian crisis, the prolonged lockdown has undoubtedly increased the hardship of the peasantry, the agricultural workers and toiling masses. Poverty, unemployment, malnutrition and hunger are widespread. Ironically while we have almost five times the required buffer stocks at present with 10.5 crore tonnes of rice and wheat, we are witnessing a situation of hunger amidst plenty as the Government is refusing to distribute it to the needy. The farce enacted by the BJP Government can be starkly brought out when hunger deaths are seen in a context wherein the surplus foodgrains are sought to be diverted for production of ethanol and purportedly to make hand sanitisers. Even the grain and pulses promised have not reached to crores of poor. The poor are also not having access to quality health facilities or comprehensive social security.

• Inequalities have been increasing over the last six years at a rate that has never been seen in recent times. Income inequality before the pandemic struck had reached vulgar proportions wherein the top one per cent richest accumulating four times more wealth than that possessed jointly by the bottom 70 per cent. When the masses are reeling under extreme distress and loss of livelihood the wealth of the Dollar Billionaires in India saw a big spike despite the all-round decline in production and services. Huge concessions have in the same period been given to big corporate companies including to willful defaulters like Vijay Mallya, Mehul Choksi and others. In stark contrast to the masses one of the biggest gainers Mukesh Ambani became Asia’s richest person in April when he raised $10 billion of fresh capital in less than one month. In just four months of the lockdown he has added almost $ 28 billion or Rs.2.13 lakh crores to his wealth taking his net worth to $ 64.5 billion or Rs.4.9 lakh crores.

All Gates Unlocked for Corporate Profiteering

Even at this juncture, sections of ruling class have been rejoicing claiming that the crisis has provided the best opportunity for pursuing Neoliberal reforms more aggressively. “Now or never”, “we will never get this opportunity again, seize it” clamoured the Niti Ayog CEO Amitabh Kant calling for labour reforms, freezing a vast number of acts, giving unbridled flexibility to industries as well as market reforms and corporatisation of agriculture. Even the media hailed the changes in agriculture as “the 1991 moment for agriculture” The Prime Minister led the charge by emphasising on a farcical Rs.20 lakh crore package which would touch upon four Ls –Land, Labour, Liquidity and Law for ensuring “Atmanirbhar Bharat” or self-reliant India. Ironically the BJP Government spoke of self-reliance even as it opened the gates for FDI in all sectors including defence automatically up to 74 per cent, unbridled privatisation, opened up markets and resources for plunder by private capital while land, labour and market laws were changed as per the demands of the capitalists. Railways, Ordnance factories, BSNL, Air India etc are all up for sale and outright loot of national assets including mineral wealth is taking place. Land reform laws are being amended to allow corporate take-over of agricultural land, Environmental Impact Assessment draft opens up natural resources for corporate plunder and contract farming is being promoted.

The retrograde anti-labour exercise of the BJP Government towards virtual nullification of most of the substantive laws over the last six years aimed at total abrogation of the internationally recognised provisions like eight hour working day, Right to Freedom of Association and Right to Collective Bargaining, also guaranteed by the Indian Constitution. During its last term, the BJP Government fast tracked the process of dismantling the labour laws that provided some protection to the workers, though to a very small section mostly in the organised sector. It embarked upon codification of the 44 central labour laws into 4 codes. Now taking pretext of the lockdown at the behest of the corporate companies at least 13 States ruled by the BJP, the Congress and even different regional parties have increased working hours per day to 12 hours or 72 hours a week and scrapped most of the labour laws which were the result of intense struggles of the working class.

On 3^rd June, 2020 the BJP Government promulgated three Ordinances that are an onslaught on the farmers and an aggressive pursuit of neoliberal economic policies. It will effectively disempower farmers and usher in Company Raj in agriculture. They are a direct attack against federal principles and infringes on the rights of the State Governments. Though agriculture is a State subject under the Indian Constitution, the Centre is seeking to override the States and centralising all powers in its hands. All regulation or controls on private players and agribusinesses will be removed and farmers will be put at the mercy of agribusinesses, large retailers and exporters. Market regulations were introduced in the 1960s and 1970s to put a check on the monopoly powers of large traders and big buyers as well as end exploitation of farmer in price fixation, grading, weighing and payments. The new changes will in effect finish the support system of Minimum Support Price and public procurement. It is not restrictions in marketing that is causing distress of farmers; it is rather the absence of remunerative prices and assured procurement that is leading to distress. Amendments to the Essential Commodities Act remove commodities like cereals, pulses, oilseeds, edible oils, onion and potatoes from the list of essential commodities. This will not only emerge as a threat to food security but also allow traders and agribusinesses to buy unlimited quantity directly from farmers and hoard even in times of emergencies. The consumers will be affected and we can visualise artificial scarcity, hoarding and black-marketing as well as price rise with such uncontrolled field for the agribusinesses. ‘The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, 2020’ so attractively packaged claims that it will empower farmers to engage with processors, aggregators, wholesalers, large retailers and exporters on a level playing field without any fear of exploitation. Can one imagine a level playing field between agribusinesses like Pepsico, Walmart, Reliance Fresh and a poor indebted farmer or tenant cultivator? They will only shed crocodile tears after finishing off the peasantry. It talks of price assurance when in reality the Central Government has deregulated the markets and withdrawn its commitment to price support and procurement. Nowhere in the Ordinance does it say prices given by a trader or agribusiness to the farmer cannot go below the MSP. The Amendments proposed to the Electricity Act will lead to spiralling of tariffs by scrapping of the policy of cross-subsidy introduced to provide electricity to poorer citizens and farmers.

We have seen the denial of hard-won rights of the workers in States ruled by the BJP, Congress and regional parties. Land reform laws are being changed and corporate Companies are being given free hand to buy agricultural land or lease land. APMC Act and ECA have been turned into mere pieces of paper. All these actions being taken during a pandemic and extreme human misery is also being given legal sanction by tampering with existing laws. When the whole world is questioning the neoliberal policies, the Indian ruling classes are pursuing it more aggressively. This is being accompanied by communal polarisation, repression on democratic movements and increased curbs on protests. This is the farce that is unfolding under the second coming of Narendra Modi.

The Way Forward

When the entire peasantry and toiling masses have been rendered without earning due to the unplanned Lockdown, rather than helping them with income support, loan waivers, providing foodgrains, generating employment and health facilities the BJP Government is only showering unending benefits as well as concessions to the corporate companies. Incentives to corporates cannot protect the vulnerable sections; the fundamental issues of the masses need to be addressed. States are in the forefront of the fight against the COVID 19 Pandemic. A Financial Package to States to deal with the extraordinary situation must be announced forthwith. Crop and income losses due to the lockdown must be compensated. Loss of incomes of the peasantry and toiling masses has to be addressed by income support of at least Rs.7,500 per month to all non-tax paying, poor people in India. Peasantry including landless, small, middle peasantry, tenant farmers and agricultural workers must be immediately given debt relief and a full loan waiver. Crops including perishable crops and livestock products such as milk, eggs and meat must be assured of remunerative prices as per C2+50% formula and procurement must be ensured. Free seeds, affordable inputs and interest free loans for the next season must be ensured. The PM-KISAN amount must be increased to Rs.18,000/- per year bringing all tenant farmers and Adivasi farmers also under its purview. Unemployment wages clause under MGNREGA should be used to give all agricultural workers Rs.300/- per day or the minimum wage in the state, whichever is higher. Following the Kerala example other than food grains all essentials like cooking oil, sugar, pulses, tea, salt, spices etc., have to be given to all. Rather than facilitating corporate loot and dependence on FDI, the government must ensure cooperative farming by promoting cooperatives of the peasantry and agriculture workers. In addition, emphasis should be given to infrastructure development in terms of cold storages and promotion of processing, value addition and marketing through cooperatives with public investment. Protection of traditional agro-based industry and addressing the safety of workers involved in procurement and market operations by ensuring access to adequate safety equipment and gear need to be emphasised. Universal health, education, public distribution and comprehensive social security with State spending needs to be put firmly on the national agenda. 

The three Ordinances and the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2020 were burnt in protest in more than 3500 centres across India. Massive protests have taken place in the coal blocks and in the defence sector against opening the doors for corporate profiteering. United struggles by workers, peasants and agricultural workers have been going on and a plan has been worked out for taking up elaborate struggles. On 7^th and 8^th August Scheme Workers like Anganwadi workers, ASHA and Mid-Day Meal Workers have had protests across the country. Even workers in the IT sector are coming out in solidarity with such struggles. New solidarities are emerging and coordinated united action of the working class, peasantry and oppressed are emerging.

On August 9^th, 2020, the anniversary of Quit India Movement massive united struggles have been planned with the slogan “India Is Not For Sale; Save India. Stop Corporate Loot”. Already the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee with over 250 organisations and the Bhumi Adhikar Andolan have extended solidarity and decided to participate in these struggles. United struggles on the basis of broad issue-based unity with Worker-Peasant alliance as the core and including all oppressed, the youth, women and students will pave the way to resist these policies and build support for a pro-people alternative. Let us all work in that direction.

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Vijoo Krishnan is an Indian peasant leader, writer on agrarian issues and the Joint Secretary of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS).

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