BJP MP from Bhiwani-Mahendragarh (Haryana) Dharambir Singh. (File)
BJP MP from Bhiwani-Mahendragarh (Haryana), Dharambir Singh, who recently wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi detailing the miseries of farmers, tells SUKHBIR SIWACH in an interview that Minimum Support Price has to be increased to two-and-a-half times of what it is now.
How do you rate NDA government’s performance?
The people have put their faith in PM Narendra Modi ji. The money that has been spent for connectivity of rail, road and sea ports like other developed countries of the world will have huge advantage in taking the country forward in future. Today, in the eyes of the common man, Modi dwarfs his opponents.
How do you rate the BJP government in Haryana?
The MLAs can say better about thus. My work mainly relates to Central government. There are nine Assembly segments in my Lok Sabha constituency. Here, water shortage is a major problem. Water level has gone down 500 feet to 2000 feet beneath the earth. Though, the government has given Rs 143 crore + Rs 250 crore for re-modelling and repair of canal and pump houses, we are not satisfied.
You recently wrote to the PM about the condition of farmers. Why hasn’t it improved?
If I speak about Haryana, 85 or 90 lakh acres are under cultivation. As many as 30 lakh families are associated with agriculture in the state. On an average, a family doesn’t have more than three acres of land, either their own, or taken on contract. A government employee gets Rs 60,000-Rs 70,000 per month minimum. His children get good education. His home runs well. Even then, the employees demand more. By comparison, take the average income of farmers in Haryana. Rs 10,000 to Rs 50,000 per acre are the annual charges to take the land on contract for cultivation. For 3 acres, that is Rs 75,000. Then Rs 10,000 is the annual input cost of fertilizers etc which means Rs 30,000 for three acres. Husband and wife are putting in labour worth Rs 2.4 lakh annually. Annual cost of cultivation is Rs 3.45 lakh for three acres. In return, he gets just Rs 50,000 per acre, which is Rs 1.5 lakh for three acres.
The MSP has to be 2.5 times more than what now. Or after fixing input cost as I have indicated, Prime Minister ji or Jaitley ji may offer MSP as 1.5 times of the input cost. Only then the farmer can be saved. There is one more caste between a human being and animal, whom we call farmer. This is the condition of farmer today. Today, a farmer has resources to change his clothes only once in 6-7 days. Farmers need to be saved or else there won’t be anyone left to grow food.
Your letter to the PM on “farmers’ miserable condition”also indicates that four out of seven MPs are not happy with the government’s performance.
It’s our duty to tell true picture to Narendra Bhai because he is the PM.
How do you find CM’s response when you raise issues of your constituency and Haryana?
He is a fine person. He tries to understand, see how it can be implemented. However, many a time, officers don’t get work implemented. And it leads to political consequences.
You have indicated you don’t want to contest Lok Sabha polls and prefer to contest Assembly election. Why?
I have been an MLA four times. It was a small constituency. We used to succeed in resolving their problems. Lok Sabha is a large area which consists nine Assembly constituencies…(So), I had stated about one year back that I wanted to contest Assembly polls.
Which seat?
Tosham (Bhiwani). I have made up mind.
INLD and BSP have formed an alliance. Do you see any impact of it?
Certainly, it will have impact somewhere. See, whenever two forces get together, it will have advantages somewhere.