SHIMLA: Syunkat Kisan Manch (SKM) of 29 farmers’ organisations from across the state remained firm in their resolve to stage the Protest march to gherao Himachal Pradesh Secretariate on August 5 as SKM rejected last-minute “talks" offer from the Jai Ram Thakur Government today.
The large number of apple and vegetable farmers have started converging into the state capital of Shimla here for the protest march, flagging their 20-point charter of demands to the state government for immediate action.
State government chose to confront the SKM by pressing into the fire fighting the APMC Shimla Chairman Naresh Sharma and son of late Narender Bragta, Chetan Bragta, who had contested the Jubbal and Kotkhai by-election as a BJP rebel, but lost the seat to Congress leader Rohit Thakur.
Chetan Bragta was taken back by the BJP to the party fold just few days back after former Chief Minister Prof P K Dhumal and his supporters raised a “cold banner of revolt within state BJP”.
BJP faced a political void in Jubbal-Kotkhai, perhaps in the entire apple belt of Shimla after the exit of Narender Bragta, a leader of apple farmers, who was instrumental in creating a “Saffron base” in the Congress stronghold.
BJP got another jolt in Theog after Indu Verma, a zila parishad member and the wife of former BJP MLA Late Rakesh Verma deserted BJP and Joined Congress along with her supporters in presence of PCC President Pratibha Singh, Harsh Mahajan, Ram Lal Thakur, Vikramditya Singh, Rohit Thakur, Anirudh Singh, Harish Janartha, Atul Sharma and other leaders.
Indu Verma staged a show of strength at Theog on Wednesday while former Congress president Kuldip Singh Rathaur and his elks remained absent.
Congress MLAs from Shimla Vikramaditya Singh and Rohit Thakur, Jubbal Kotkhai have also staged their rallies in support of the demands of the apple farmers.
On the other hand Theog CPM MLA Rakesh Singha has joined SKM in support of demands of the farmers and has been pleading case of the farmers with the state government.
Due to these swift political developments in the apple belt, the farmers’ march to Secretariate has become a big political potboiler ahead of the state assembly polls just couple of months away.
SKM has remained firm on its stand, ventilating their anger over the meteoric rise in cost of production of the apple that has made the apple farming a losing profession for the lakh of unemployed youth who were looking back to farm for survival in the post-Covid recovery period.
SKM convenor Harish Chauhan, who has been a BJP worker for over 30 years and Sanjay Chauhan, a former Shimla Mayor and CPIM leader and farmers representing over 27 farmers bodies have come on a single platform for the first time, cutting across the partylines.
This show of unity of the farmers has come as a major worry for the Jai Ram Thakur government ahead of elections.
BJP has also flexed its muscles in the arena roping in Chetan Bragta to cut ice with the apple growers, atleast among Bragta’s supporters. Other two BJP leaders from the apple belt Shimla MLA and UD minister Suresh Bhardwaj, Balbir Verma had remained neutral as they fear backlash of the farmers on this issue.
Naresh Sharma and Chetan Bragta issued a joint statement charging that SKM boycotted the meeting called today as per the instructions of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur in the Secretariat today, which was chaired by Chief Secretary.
In this meeting Principal Secretary Subhasish Panda, Horticulture Secretary Amitabh Awasthi, Agriculture Secretary Rakesh Kanwar, HPMC, HIMFED and Directors of Marketing Board along with Sushant Deshta, Pawan Chauhan, Vishal Chauhan were present.
BJP leaders said a committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of Vice Chancellor Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar University Nauni to oversee the process of fixing the price of apples taken in private CA stores. The progressive orchardists have also been included as members, they claimed.
They claim orders have been given to the Horticulture Department to strictly implement the provision of keeping apples of gardeners in all private CA stores in the state as per the MoU.
The process of setting up Horticulture Board for horticulture development in the state is in progress.
BJP leaders said that 50 percent grant has been made by the Horticulture Department under Integrated Horticulture Development Mission for the gardeners to set up fruit version units and CA stores in the meeting.
BJP leaders reiterated government has released the pending amount of Rs. 8.59 crore of apples procured in the year 2021 under apple market arbitration scheme, out of which Rs. 4.15 crore has been released to HPMC and 4.45 crore to HIMFED on 30.7.2022.
They stated the government has re-implemented the old scheme of subsidy of various types of pesticides, according to which all these items will be available through the centers of the Horticulture Department.
Apart from this, a provision of 75 percent grant has been made by the Industries Department Himachal Pradesh under the State Mission for Food Processing to set up fruit processing units and CA stores.
They said 6% subsidy of Goods and Services Tax (GST) would be provided to all the horticulturists in the state on purchase of apple cartons and trays from HPMC or open market after April 1, 2022.
