Sarim Shaikh
As we move closer to the General elections in 2024, my professor and I embarked on a journey through Rural Maharashtra, encompassing regions like Marathwada, Vidharbha, and western Maharashtra, where farming is the primary occupation.
The Harsh Realities of Farming in Maharashtra
As we moved through this rural landscape we saw the hardship faced by the farmers and the stark reality of farming as an occupation in Maharashtra. An average of eight farmers take their own lives daily due to severe financial distress. Factors contributing to this tragic phenomenon include crop loss, falling crop prices, and mounting debts from private money lenders and banks.
Maharashtra: The Epicenter of Farmer Suicides
Maharashtra leads the nation in farmer suicides, with the Marathwada region bearing a significant burden of these cases. Talking of the falling crop price, one of the farmers from Patoda Taluka, falling in the Beed district says “My warehouse is occupied with sacks filled with soybean which have been kept for 2 years, it’s due to low prices prevalent in the market, prices below the minimum support price .”
Ineffective Government Measures, Policies, and Economic Challenges
One of the reasons behind the fall in price is the government's decision to reduce import duties on edible oil, resulting in competition with domestically produced soybean oil in Maharashtra. This heightened competition drove down prices, posing challenges for local soybean producers. Further the Marathwada region, in particular, has been grappling with extreme weather conditions like drought and floods, which impacted the farmers heavily. Along with that many farmers expressed their distress and dissatisfaction with the government although the government provided some of the schemes such as loan waivers etc.
Farmers criticized these measures as ineffective as they failed to address the root causes of the problem.
Rising Unemployment and Its Social Implications
There were concerns raised about the massive unemployment seen among the youth, who are in their 30s which leads to many unmarried people in the village. There are villages with more than 100 people who are unable to find brides for themselves.
Unemployment may be due to several reasons such as lack of education and infrastructure. A farmer is not able to provide his/ her children with quality education. Also, they mostly make their children study till class 10 and then join wage labor. This level of education does not make them job-ready.
Hence most of them are forced to get into farming, increasing disguised employment on the farm.
In addition, a lack of access to high-quality education restricts upward mobility and maintains socioeconomic inequalities. Rural youth's potential is limited by a lack of educational options, knowledge, and skills needed for survival in a world that is changing rapidly and is not accessible to most.
Rural communities are unable to reach their full potential and continue to fall behind in terms of socioeconomic development. Furthermore, women are particularly impacted by scarcity of water because they are often responsible for getting water for their families.
Women suffer a heavy physical and psychological weight as a result of this gendered division of labor, which also upholds traditional gender norms. Thus, not wanting their daughters to experience the same struggles is one of the reasons women are refusing to marry into an agricultural family.
As previously said, this has led to a significant number of single adults in the village, which raises the possibility of major socio-emotional problems including despair, loneliness, and low self-esteem among unmarried individuals.
Agrarian Distress and the Maratha Reservation Movement
Amidst the backdrop of agrarian distress and rural unemployment, Maharashtra has also been witnessing widespread protests and unrest surrounding the issue of Maratha reservation.
The Maratha community, historically regarded as a dominant agrarian class, has been seeking reservations in education and government jobs. The demand for reservation gained momentum with large-scale protests across the state, highlighting the socio-economic challenges faced by the Maratha community.
"Our community is always left out; we don't get the recognition we deserve. Our kids perform exceptionally well in competitive exams, but other kids with reservations take that place," - the activist said in a conversation.
We now want our reservation, which is our right. However the state passed a 10% reservation for the Maratha community but the people were dissatisfied by this as their ask was to grant 10% reservation within the OBC reservation, which the Government didn't do.
We met a very prominent activist of the Marathas Manoj Jarange Patil who said “ They (The government) are playing dirty politics, and all those who oppose this act will get defeated in the election by our community”.
Political Instability and Public Disillusionment
People in Maharashtra have lost faith in the political system as a result of internal power conflicts in the party that rules the state and its coalition. The crumbling of prominent political parties such as the Shiv Sena and NCP has left voters feeling disheartened and has raised doubts about the reliability and honesty of their representatives in parliament. Instead of a sincere effort to address the urgent problems facing the state, the alliances formed before the elections show a race for power.
Moreover, people's confidence in the political system is being made worse by the growing awareness of the opportunistic practices and horse-trading that are frequent in politics.
The occurrence of corrupt officials receiving rehabilitation and praise for being 'clean' after siding with particular political parties highlights the current level of hypocrisy in Maharashtra politics. Public distrust is increased by this feeling of betrayal, which also serves to strengthen the idea that the political party has separated itself from the issues facing common people.
Heated language centered around cultural and religious identities causes societal unrest and restricts productive discussion of important subjects. Dialoguing using Mughals, Matan, and Mangalsutra, polarizes societies and diverts attention from important issues and much-needed policy reform.
The public is sick of these strategies and seeks sensible politics instead of identity politics.
The Way Forward: Inclusive Governance and Policy Reform
Maharashtra's citizens are calling for inclusive administration and politics focused on measurable results in light of these difficulties. Regardless of one's political views, the most important issues facing the public are equal access to top-quality education, reasonable prices for agricultural goods, and effective policy protecting farmers' rights by providing reservations to the Maratha community. An increasing body of research suggests that effective substantive governance, backed by accountability and transparency, is vital to address the state's many problems. Whether the issues raised by people during the visit and written in the note, find a resolution in the elections will be seen on June 4th, 2024.
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