As Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh gears up to go to polls on May 19, 95 turmeric farmers have decided to file their nominations for the Lok Sabha polls. If things go as planned, all 95 of them will be contesting against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is the incumbent MP in Varanasi.
55 farmers from Nizamabad and 40 farmers from Tamil Nadu have decided to contest from the Varanasi parliamentary seat, in order to bring attention to the demands of the farming sector and turmeric cultivation in the country.
Speaking to TNM about the decision, Kotapati Narasimha Naidu, who leads the delegation from Nizamabad, said that though the farmers have been fighting to be heard for the past 12 years, they have been repeatedly let down by the legislators which is why they have decided to take up the issue by themselves.
“We want support prices for our turmeric, which is the primary demand,” he said, adding that the aim was to highlight the plight of farmers in the country.
All India Turmeric Farmer’s Association National President, PK Deivasigamani said that the longstanding demand for a National Turmeric Board is still pending despite taking it up to the government for the past 10 years.
“Our government has a coconut board, a coffee board and a coir board. So why not a separate board for turmeric which earns foreign exchange for the economy,” he said.
Pointing out that the BJP has not mentioned farmers loan waiver or anything that benefits the agricultural sector in their manifesto this time, Deivasigamani said, “GST increased the burden on farmers since the input cost increased due to the levy. The current government has many anti-farmer ideas with it and we want to draw the attention of the people towards the real plight of farmers. Hence this move.”
He also added that the move to file nomination papers was one with self-respect, contrary to the others who parade themselves naked to grab eyeballs.
Reiterating their goal, Narasimha Naidu said, “We won’t ask for votes from the Varanasi people; we won’t do canvassing; we are not politically inclined; we are doing this to draw attention to our plight. 55 members trying for nomination and at least 35 will get to file the papers.”