Bihar farmers being held back because of lack of organisations: Tariq Anwar

A dearth of potent farmers' organizations in Bihar has held its peasants back from agitating against the farm laws like their counterparts in states like Punjab and Haryana, senior Congress leader Tariq Anwar asserted on Monday.

Addressing a press conference here, the AICC general secretary debunked the claims made by the ruling NDA that the state has remained placid by virtue of the "success" of the Nitish Kumar government's experimentation with the abolition of APMCs.

"It is not that the farmers of Bihar are better off than those in Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, and Karnataka.

Unlike those states, we do not have organizations that could effectively take up their cause.

"It is a pity since this is the land where Mahatma Gandhi had launched his Satyagraha in protest against the exploitation of indigo cultivators in Champaran," said the former state Congress chief.

He expressed dismay over the Narendra Modi government's "baal hath" (childish obstinacy) in refusing to agree to the farmers demand for the repeal of the three contentious laws, and urged the Centre to give up its "ahankaar" (arrogance).

Pointing towards Modi's much-touted move of abolishing many redundant laws which was taken up soon after he rose to power in 2014, Anwar wondered "why is the government so adamant to not do so now when it is being demanded by farmers and attempts to obstruct their agitations are being condemned world over".

He also disclosed that the Congress has decided to hold district-level "padayatras" across the country, including in Bihar, to express solidarity with the agitating farmers.

Training his guns at Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the former Union minister said the JD(U) leader used to accuse the Manmohan Singh government of not granting special status to Bihar since the UPA was not in power in the state, and asked "why is he not able to get the BJP, which rules the Centre and shares power with him here, to do the needful".

Anwar also deplored the recent order issued by the Bihar police wherein those taking part in demonstrations have been warned of adverse entries in their police verification reports, which could deprive them of getting government jobs and contracts.

"This is undemocratic," he said. PTI NAC RBT RBT