from page 24 Tarimela.... services, but also critical basic sectors such as electricity and railways, and eventually natural resources such as mines, came under the control of multinational corporations. He strongly criticised the State for withdrawing from its responsibilities and rolling out the carpet for the private sector. Nagi Reddy’ s Distinctive Analysis of the Caste System
There is a criticism that traditional Marxists often look at society only through the lens of class and ignore the caste system. However, Professor Narasimha Reddy specifically recalled that Nagi Reddy, in his book India at Stake, particularly in Chapter 14, analysed with great awareness how Scheduled Castes were subjected to ruthless oppression under the feudal system. Tenancy Laws— The Gross Failure of Governments
Although tenancy reform laws were introduced between 1956 and 1960 in several states, including the then undivided Andhra Pradesh, they failed in practice. In the absence of legal protection and a regulated rent ratio, tenancy became clandestine and disappeared from official records. Tenants changing every year and being squeezed through exorbitant rents became commonplace. Rapidly
Increasing
Landlessness
Despite the growth of technology in agriculture, the number of landless poor in rural areas is increasing rapidly. Although the number of actual cultivators engaged in tenant farming has increased, they remain under severe economic pressure because they have no legal ownership rights over the land. Green Revolution— Corporate Monopoly over Seeds
In the initial phase of the Green Revolution, the National Seeds Corporation and universities provided seeds through the public sector. However, after 1991, the
September-2026 seed sector was handed over to multinational companies in the name of intellectual property rights. Today, farmers have to depend on the market for every purchased agricultural input, from seeds to fertilisers. Agriculture Trapped in a Debt Spiral
With no own capital and little government support, farmers began borrowing from the outside market at high interest rates to invest in agriculture. From the 1980s onwards, in states such as Andhra Pradesh, even a minor crop loss pushed farmers into a debt trap, forcing them to lose even the small pieces of land they possessed. Landholding Pattern in Undivided Andhra Pradesh
An examination of statistics from 1911 to 1922 shows that the proportion of marginal farmers— those owning less than 2.5 acres— in Andhra Pradesh increased from 65 % to 72 %. Small and marginal farmers owning less than five acres crossed 90 %. On the other hand, the average size of landholdings among the very few landlords owning more than 20 acres increased, leading to severe inequalities. Landless Cultivators— The Plight of 3 Million Tenant Farmers
Although official government statistics claim that there are only 40,000 tenant farmers, revenue records and NSSO surveys indicate that there are nearly 3 million tenant farmers in Andhra Pradesh alone. Since there are no records at the field level, they are denied access to government welfare schemes and loans. The Great Tragedy of Farmer Suicides
Professor Narasimha Reddy expressed anguish that, due to the absence of legal protection and security, more than 350,000 farmers committed suicide in undivided Andhra Pradesh between 1994 and 2004 alone. It is noteworthy that the majority of those who died by suicide were unrecognised tenant farmers. Changes in Laws— The Stand of the Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Governments
The Licensed Cultivators Act, introduced in undivided Andhra Pradesh in 2011, attempted to provide Loan Eligibility Cards to tenant farmers. However, after 2014, the Telangana government set aside the issue by refusing to recognise the tenancy system itself, while the Andhra Pradesh government introduced new provisions in the form of the Cultivators Rights Act( CCRC). Failure of CCRC Cards
Although there are 3 million tenant farmers in Andhra Pradesh, and a target was set to issue cards to at least 1 million of them every year under the CCRC Act, in practice the number of cards issued has not exceeded 100,000. He analysed that making the landowner’ s signature mandatory was the principal reason for this failure. Who Is Receiving the Loans?
Although banks reportedly provided Rs. 3.5 lakh crore in loans to the agricultural sector in Andhra Pradesh last year, only Rs. 4,000 crore reached the actual cultivators— the tenant farmers— through CCRC cards. This means that less than 1 % of the loans are reaching the actual tenant farmers. The Nagi Reddy Path— The Sole Guiding Light for Today’ s Movements
Nagi Reddy had said even then that although imperialism may change its form and corporate forces may take over agriculture, the exploitation of the oppressed classes would continue to intensify. Professor D. Narasimha Reddy made it clear that the true tribute to TN is to study the changes taking place in the system from a Marxist perspective and organise tenant farmers, agricultural labourers and working people to wage struggles.
( Courtesy:‘ The Wire’) 27