Punjab Chief Minister, Parkash Singh Badal, was at his entertaining best while addressing on Monday the inaugural session of the two-day massive Vibrant Gujarat Global Agriculture Summit organised in Gandhinagar.

He took several potshots at the Centre through its only representative present — Ashok Gulati, Chairman, Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices — particularly for his advice that since the water table in Punjab was going down drastically due to excessive rice production, the way forward would be diversified farming which is more profitable.

Accusing the central government of neglecting farmers’ interest, he said when the country needed foodgrains “then it was the slogan of Jai jawan, Jai kisan , but now that you have excess foodgrains, like the ringmaster in a circus you are waving the stick and saying don’t grow rice. But all of a sudden how do we diversify? Give us funds for diversification."

While the farmers of Punjab and other States toiled to feed the country, and the costs of their inputs increased drastically – “in a month you increase the price of diesel twice” – how could somebody sitting in Delhi arbitrarily decide on the prices, without even consulting any of the chief ministers, he asked Gulati.

It was an incredible congregation of over 4,000 farmers from 542 districts of 29 States and two Union Territories.

Later addressing the meet, Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, said that the summit, which had participation from foreign countries such as Australia, Denmark, South Africa, etc and 125 companies associated with agri-business, should have been ideally organised by the Centre but since that didn’t happen he had to take the initiative.

Badal and Modi

The political bonhomie between Badal and Modi was clearly on display; Badal called Modi a “great national leader” and said he would take Modi’s example and organise such a meet in February 2014.

Referring to the sprawling Mahatma Mandir campus in Gandhinagar, the central hall of which can seat 5,000, Badal said, he couldn’t dream of such a grand show. “As a rich brother should always help a poor brother, perhaps Modiji will help us build such a hall, or else we’ll have the meet in a tamboo (tent)!”

Striking a serious note, he said the farmers of Punjab that formed 2 per cent of the country’s population but once provided over half of its foodgrains, were in dire straits and hugely indebted. With meagre financial help coming from the Centre, the Punjab Government had to spend Rs 30,000 crore every year to help the farmers.

“Every year to keep the Punjab farmers’ tube wells functioning, I pay their electricity bill of Rs 6,000 crore.”

Very soon the farmers of Punjab would have no other option but to wake up from their slumber and agitate. Challenging the central government to “either do something for the badly neglected rural areas and farmers of India or gaddi chhodo (vacate the chair), he also urged greater linkage between agricultural research, technology and the field.

His parting request to Modi was that the Gujarati cow he had gifted him and which provided his daily milk intake had now become old, “so please send me a younger cow”!

>rasheeda.bhagat@thehindu.co.in

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