Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who is already feeling the heat over his government’s alleged failure to tackle the recent communal flare-up in Western UP, is facing a fresh litmus test, with the sugar millers and cane growers digging themselves in on the issue of cane prices.
Although the CM had given the sugar millers time till Tuesday to restart their mills and even promised them more concessions, the latter simply refused to budge.
According to the farmers, unless the cane prices were slashed to `225 a quintal,it was simply not possible for them to accept the CM’s demand. And this has ensured a further loss of face to the SP Government since the CM had also warned the millers that the administration would be compelled to take strong action against them if they failed to fall in line.
In fact, this is also the first instance where the millers have openly defied a Chief Minister’s call, that too after the crushing season has begun.
The crushing of sugarcane has not started yet in UP, which has already been delayed by over a month, and the cane growers have come out strongly against the inordinate delay in this regard since their crop is yet to be harvested. Also, it has held up the sowing of the Rabi crop .
Although it was the CM, who took the rather risky decision to effect a freeze on the cane prices for the current crushing season,credit must also be given to Rahul Bhatnagar, principal secretary, Sugar Industries.
Now,though,it remains to be seen as to how the state government goes about the task of implementing its decision and if it were eventually to give into either of the two sides locked in the dispute, it could lead to a whispering campaign about Akhilesh’s failure to regain lost ground in the wake of the Durga Nagpal fiasco and the communal riots. “Yes, I knew it was an election year and the political parties might exploit the confrontationist stance adopted by the cane growers.”