The UPA claimed to be interested in "development with a human face" in 2004.
Development, yes, but whos? This article points to the answer: Not the Farmer's.
With agribusiness hotting up, private players are establishing their own supply chains and offering higher prices to farmers for their produce.
Anyone with the "farmers' interest" in mind would welcome this development.
Not the Central Government.
The Central Government, clearly, is not concerned about the farmer.
Instead of allowing farmers to get higher returns, MMS and Co. will now force farmers to sell produce to the sarkar at lower prices than the market.
But then, the UPA is then doing only what its (time tested) Nehruvian Stalinist ideology says: rob the citizen and keep him poor, 'fix' him on an IV drip of doles and alms and control that drip!
Rob the farmer of a fair price, drive out competition and leave the poor farmer dependent on a drip of FCI-fixed prices.
Thank you Finance Minister for informing us of your intent to "help agriculture" in your '07 budget. Now we know who you're planning to help.