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Although the Parliament rolled back what farmers called the three Black Laws this week, the complete lack of empathy for farmers and their sufferings was striking. No talks with leaders of the farmers were held, no discussion was permitted in Parliament, the repeal Bill was bulldozed through both Houses as arbitrarily as they were enacted last year! Contrast this with the attitude of the first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, in an address on All India Radio (June, 1952) on the food situation. Do note the frank manner in which he shares the difficulties being faced with his audience, and the child-like pride he takes in the success of the crop competitions in achieving high yields!“Friends and comrades, I am speaking to you over the radio after a long time. Much has happened during this interval. But today I shall speak to you chiefly about the food situation… I should like to talk to you about our common problems because it is very necessary that there should be a close understanding between the people of this great country and the Government they have elected.You know that for many years we have had to face tremendous difficulty about our food. The last world war, the partition of India, overwhelming natural disasters in the shape of earthquakes, floods, and drought and the growing population of India made this country deficit in food…Because of our lack of food, we imported large quantities of food grains at an enormous cost to this country. We have struggled against famine and scarcity in many parts of India, and even in recent months we have had to face very difficult conditions in Rayalaseema, parts of Mysore, the Sunderbans area in Bengal, eastern Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Saurashtra, the Hissar district in the Punjab and Ajmer. In some parts of India, even drinking water has been difficult to obtain.
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Mann Ki Baat in 1952
