Parimalbhai are aware that in this project farmer brothers from nearby Maharashtra had supported them though perhaps only in a symbolic way. The warm relationship with Gujarat lasted till Joshi’s final days. A small act had earned much gratitude. Despite the work done by KCC, and even other similar organizations, the unity of farmers in India has continued to remain a mirage even today. Unlike farmers of several other countries with strong agriculture such as United States, Canada, France, Germany, Switzerland or Australia farmers of India have never been organized under one banner, which could enable them to put requisite pressure on the government to adopt farmer-friendly policies. But looking back, the efforts made over almost thirty years did seem to have yielded some results. Countless agitations brought issues concerning farmers on the national agenda. Today, no political party can afford to overlook the demands of the farmers while presenting their election manifesto. It is true that the manifestoes don’t necessarily convert into policies but it has been fairly well-established that you cannot make India prosperous so long as her farmers continue to languish in poverty. Q
Farmers on the National Agenda
Q
283
