Nana Patole, a BJP MP from Bhandara-Gondia constituency who won against heavyweight NCP leader Praful Patel in 2014, resigned today from the party and the Lok Sabha. He was unhappy with PM Modi’s iron-fisted style of governance and inadequate policies in dealing with the farmers’ debt issues and farmer suicides.
Patole was known to be a dissenter in the party and was very critical to the insensitive handling of farmer problems. He always advocated for farmer-centric policies and its effective implementation. “I am despaired and in agony. The party has let me down.”, Patole said after submitting his resignation.
In August, he criticized the Maharashtra government for the inconsiderate approach in effectuating the farm loan waiver scheme.
Earlier in September, he accused PM Modi of being autocratic, who does not like to be questioned let alone criticized. So, it is clear that he was unhappy with the functioning style of the party.
He jotted down 14 points in his resignation letter scathing PM Modi and Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis for following anti-masses policies which are nothing more than empty rhetoric. Increasing numbers of suicides by farmers, demonetization and GST were said to be some of the major causes for his move to step down from the office.
“There has been a 43 percent rise in the numbers of farmers’ suicide compared to last year. The state had promised to pay them time and half-time (or one and a half time) for the produces to the peasants but they are not getting the right prices. It has been an eyewash only” claimed 54-year-old Patole in his quit letter.
The BJP led Maharashtra government failed to implement the recommendations by the Swaminathan Commission report for the benefit of the farmers. The unemployment statistics are also not looking very favourable, the state vowed to add 2 crores annual job to the economy but no scheme is said to be in place exclusively focused in attainment of this goal. Adding to the woes, there has been more than 80 percent reduction in government and public-sector jobs.
In his 30-year-old span of political career, he closely associated himself with the farmer affairs and beneficial interests for backward classes. According to him, OBCs are regressing in social, economic and educational spheres and incompetent government policies are responsible for their abysmal conditions. In his letter, he lashed out at BJP for not conducting a caste census to confirm the exact number of OBC and SC/ST population in the country and failed to address the suggestions by Renke commission.
“The government failed to provide reservation for backward caste and classes. They disappointed in delivering the promises of conducting a census and till today the exact verifiable number of OBC population is not known.” Patole wrote in his letter.
Farmers are facing exploitation due to a shortage of seed and fertilizers. They are also bearing the economic brunt for not being able to sell their produce in local markets or Mandis. PM Crop Insurance scheme failed due to lack of vision by the leaders and implementers. Lack of training and knowledge of the farmers in use of chemical pesticides have caused further problems. In the wake of ZERO compensation for the loss of crops, farmers were further advised to resort to an online complaining system which did not go well with them.
All these inept methods have led to a surge in the farmers’ suicides in the past three years however government turned a blind eye to this alarming trend.
The economic state is in total jeopardy. Thanks to Modi’s demonetization policy, crores of people are without jobs. Youths have shown the exit doors from the private banks. Small-scale industries have ceased to operate after the GST tax came into effect in 2017. The provision of penalizing the poor for not maintaining a minimum amount in the bank was heavily criticized by people.
Sources said that he is planning to return to Congress or may totally go in different direction and float his own party. However, only the time will decide the course of the event.
All in all, it has been a miserable state of BJP governance. It seems that the present state actors have their vested interests in bolstering the corporate sectors rather than tackling the gargantuan task of uplifting the disadvantaged and poverty-stricken classes of India.
The government appears to be bending more towards safeguarding the interests of the private sector and pushing for privatization instead of common welfare.
If this progression remains unchecked, we would soon be devoured by further division of classes and will reach greater heights of harrowing suicides, inequitable distribution of wealth, abject poverty and prodigal draining of resources ever known to Indian history.