Bihar set to confront Centre on farmers' issue

By K. Balchand

PATNA, DEC. 15. The Chief Minister of Bihar, Mrs. Rabri Devi, has decided to take the Centre head on to protect the interests of the distressed farmers of the State.

This comes in the face of the Food Corporation of India's decision not to buy paddy in the State. It was learnt that a decision regarding the purchase of rice was also awaited. With the FCI refusing to buy their produce at the administered support price, farmers were selling their paddy at throw away prices. Earlier, the FCI had undertaken an exercise at identifying procurement centres giving hope both to the State Government and farmers. But confirmed reports now said the FCI had stocked its godowns with second-rate paddy not fit for human consumption.

The State Government now fears that the step-motherly treatment meted to the State by the Centre would create a law and order problem. The situation was all the more critical as farmers were quite aware of the Centre's action of opening up its purse strings no sooner had its allies in Punjab and Andhra Pradesh sought its help. The Centre had not hesitated to relax standards to please the parties and farmers of the two States.

The Bihar Government had requested the Centre to purchase 20 lakhs tonnes of paddy, which was about 25 per cent of the season's cultivation. But, the FCI, all of a sudden, took a stand that it did not have space for storage and that the paddy was not up to the mark.

The State Water Resources Minister, Mr. Jagdanand Singh, denying the FCI charges maintained that the district magistrate of Kaimur had videographed the entire sequence of how farmers had to return crestfallen despite producing high-quality rice. The district administration had sealed the paddy rejected by the FCI, he said.

The Government had pleaded that the FCI atleast buy the approved standard of paddy to push up prices in the market. But its decision not to intervene at all gave a new twist to the issue.

In a last-ditch effort to stave off a confrontation with the Centre, Ms. Rabri Devi is planning to call on the Prime Minister and is likely to lead an all-party delegation to Delhi for the purpose. The farmers now look towards the State Government to protect their interests. The urgency of the situation was felt the other day when a demonstration turned violent and resorted to arson.

The CPI has given a call to halt road and rail traffic through out the State tomorrow. The Chief Minister might well serve an ultimatum to the Centre that the State Government would not be responsible if people stopped the trains carrying sub-standard rice purchased in Punjab from entering Bihar where it was intended for distribution through the public distribution system.

The Government has made it clear that it would not allow the rotten rice to be distributed and invite another problem on the health front. It was willing to vouch safe the quality of the local rice and wanted the same to be purchased for the benefit of PDS consumers.

Aware of the explosive situation and realising that it would be at the receiving end, a BJP delegation has decided to call on the Union Food and Civil Supplies Minister, Mr. Shanta Kumar.

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