Madhya Pradesh's Mandsaur has witnessed a massive decline in the prices of three essential crops
It has been four days since
firing in Madhya Pradesh's Mandsaur, where farmers had been protesting since the beginning of June, left six of them dead. Despite the violence, farmers of the agrarian state are now caught in a
political blame-game between the Congress and the ruling-BJP with no long-term solution in sight.
The farmers say no politician has assured them that their grievances will be addressed.
"The farmer is out on the street because there is no one to listen to them. No public representative - BJP or Congress - has come to meet us," says farmer Bansilal Patidar.
Mandsaur is the area which witnessed the most violence during the protests. While the Congress accuses the ruling-BJP of being insensitive to farmers' needs, the BJP counter-charges the Congress with instigating the violence.
Among the six farmers shot dead four days ago in Mandsaur was 30-year-old Ghanshyam Dhakkad, who was cremated on Saturday when
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan sat on a fast in Bhopal.
Ghanshyam's grandfather Shantilal says that due to high input costs, low returns and the impact of demonetisation, the family is finding it difficult to make ends meet.
He also says that traders at agricultural markets have begun charging a two per cent commission for cash payments post-demonetisation.
"It was not like this earlier. After the notes ban, they have started taking a two percent commission to pay us in cash," says Shantilal Dhakkad.
However, the district magistrate of Mandsaur denies getting any such complaint.
"The government has decided to pay 50 per cent of payments in cash. If someone complains, we will definitely take action," says district magistrate Om Prakash Srivastav.
Farmers in Mandsaur have been in despair as the area has witnessed a massive decline in the prices of three essential crops of Soybean, fenugreek or methi, and garlic. Soybean, which was sold at Rs 5,400 a quintal in 2013, now costs Rs 2,600. The cost of fenugreek has plummeted to Rs 2,200 a quintal this year from Rs 12,000 in 2015 whereas garlic - which used to sell at Rs 12,000 a quintal in 2014 - now costs Rs 4,000.