13.
Farmers on the National Agenda Though Sharad Joshi began his struggle with onion growers in Chakan and sugarcane growers in Nashik, he knew that work at the State level was only preparation for moving onto the national stage. He believed that the entire system in the country was anti-farmer and that could only be changed at the national level. For that to happen, it was essential to build a nationwide organization of farmers. Industrial workers were organized in trade unions which were further affiliated to party-wise national federations. Congress controlled Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), Communists controlled All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Socialists controlled Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), while BJP controlled Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS). Trade Unions had a well-defined leadership structure, registered membership and met regularly at national level to press for their demands; though it was fair to say that majority of the workers remained in the unorganized sector. Their counterpart, the industrialists, also had their national federations such as Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FICCI) or Indian Merchants’ Chamber (IMC) or Confederation of Indian Industries (CII). Additionally, they also had their industry-wise national bodies such as for textile mills or cement factories or tea-coffee plantations, who protected their specific interests. Unfortunately there was no such national organization of farmers, which made it impossible to have any collective bargaining with the government and influence its agriculture policies. Farmers on the National Agenda
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