production manifold and in the early years all farmers in Punjab were happy with it, over the years they also faced many problems. The cost of seeds, fertilizers and pesticides kept increasing very rapidly. The cost of other input such as diesel, electricity and labour also rose fast. High-tech farming implied greater use of machinery and the cost of buying and maintaining that machinery also sky-rocketed. But the price of farm produce, controlled by the Central Government, did not rise in proportion. This considerably strained the farmer’s budget forcing him to take loans. Over the years the loans kept accumulating. The earlier euphoria of sixties and early seventies vanished and its place was taken by rising discontent. There were also many environmental issues. Excess use of fertilizers resulted in the soil losing its natural minerals and fertility. Underground water began to get depleted making it necessary for the tube wells to penetrate deeper in the soil. Excessive use of water led to salination making land barren. Consumers were critical of residual pesticides which according to contemporary scientific research were damaging people’s health. It was claimed that the number of persons affected with a deadly disease like cancer was very high and some scientists attributed that to use of chemicals by farmers. Naturally the society at large was alarmed by such media reports. All this was a breeding ground for Khalistanis. They began to highlight the fact that most of the farmers were Sikhs who lived in villages while most of the traders and service class people were Hindus who lived in cities. Religious fundamentalism began to be projected as an answer to socioeconomic problems. The hike in electricity tariffs announced by the State Government turned out to be the last straw on the camel’s back. For Punjab farmers, electricity had become a perpetual headache. Tube well, motor pump, thresher and much of such Joshi in Punjab
Q
203
