Kulaks on the Rise Fradip Kumar Bose WITH the announcement of some of the concessions to the agriculturists by Gujarat government, it appears that the kulaks have won the first round in their battle. These concessions pertain to rationalisation of power tariff, abolition of meter system and minimum electricity charges. Not that the kulaks have gained substantially from these concessions but they have been able to put the government, which initially took a tough stand on the farmer's agitation, on the defensive. The concessions however have been described by the leaders as a device to 'cheat and divide' the farmers. The kisan cell of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee has endorsed almost all the 31 demands presented by the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh in its six-month long agitation and it is apprehended that some more concessions would be announced soon which will have serious consequences for the underprivileged in the rural sector and may negate whatever little benefit they have achieved from the existing land reform measures.
