The just concluded general election saw an erosion of seats for the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in rural India. Experts identified farmer angst as one key factor.
The NDA seems to have taken note of this. In its third term it effected a leadership change in the agriculture ministry. Not only is Shivraj Chauhan a seasoned politician—having served for over 16 years as the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh—he is also credited with the transformation of the state’s agriculture from deficit to surplus.
Will the upcoming Union Budget then signal a course correction? Will it sow the seeds of the next agricultural revolution?
To answer this StratNews Global spoke to Ashok Gulati, agricultural economist, and an earlier guest on this show.
Anil Padmanabhan has been a journalist for the last 36 years. He has worked in various capacities in several publications including Afternoon Despatch & Courier, Press Trust of India, Business Standard, Mint and was based in New York for India Today. He was a Nieman Fellow in 2001. He tweets at @capitalcalculus.
