Eyeing farmers’ votes, Congress, BJP biggies perk up poll battle

Khandwa: Khandwa is perhaps the only seat among the eight in the Malwya-Nimar region of Madhya Pradesh which is going to see a battle between local heavyweights from the BJP and Congress. Sitting BJP MP Nanda Kumar Singh, who has represented the seat four times in Parliament since 1986, is facing a keen contest from former UPA minister Arun Yadav as the region goes to polls on May 19. Son of former deputy CM of MP Subhash Yadav, Arun had defeated Chouhan in the 2009 polls.
The BJP leader’s campaign centres around Prime Minster Narendra Modi’s leadership abilities and his government’s performance.

Addressing a “nukkad sabha” at Bagpal village, Chouhan, popularly addressed as Nandu bhayia, said “this time, the elections is not about Khandwa, it’s about the country”.

He attacked the Congress’ dynastic politics and charged the newly-elected state government for failing to waive the Rs 2 lakh loan promised to each farmer.

Asked why he has been focusing on Modi so much, Chouhan said “because people want to see him as the prime minister again”.

He has made the country proud and under him India has progressed in the field of science and the economy has done well, he said.

He claimed that people regret voting out the Shivraj Singh Chouhan regime. The Congress, which formed the government after 15 long years, managed to perform well in eight of the assembly seats which are part of this parliamentary seat. It won five seats, which are predominantly rural, as Congress chief Rahul Gandhi had promised farm loan waiver ahead of the polls, admitted a local BJP leader. However, the farm distress reach-out by the Congress may not have that kind of groundswell this time.

Owner of a ration shop in Kailari, Gajendra Singh Rathore, told ET, “we will vote for Modi since we have not got our loans waived” –– a factor the BJP is trying to encash on.

In Mandhata, a couple of farmers ET spoke to appear to be happy to have either got a letter assuring them that their individual loan would be waived or are hopeful that the Kamal Nath government would honour its promise. One of them, Narayan Yadav, said he has got a letter that his Rs 1.75 lakh loan would be waived.

However, another farmer Mohammad Yonus Malik said: “This area is considered as ‘Chota Punjab’ due to land fertility. Still, we are suffering due to years of government neglect as no irrigation network has been set up”.

Congress candidate Arun Yadav, in an interview to ET, said the farm loan waiver scheme is the biggest bailout package ever offered to farmers in India.

Countering BJP views on it, he said, “if that was so, why did former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s own relatives stand in the queue and seek benefit of this scheme”.

On local issues, he said “The whole place is dry and the BJP regime at the Centre or in the state (previously) have done nothing to lift the agriculture sector. We promise to get Narmada water. The BJP candidate has not even raised a single question about the constituency in Parliament”.

Another prominent poll issue is unemployment. People like Malik, whose son has a masters in Science, but does not have a job says: “The entire country’s effort is to empower either the rich or the poor. No government is thinking about the section that does not belong to any non-quota and who cannot take care of themselves”.