In a conversation with them online:
Me: What mobile service you use?
Them: Jio
Me: What borad band you use at home?
Them: Airtel
Me: What TV service you use at home?
Them: Tata Sky
Me: Are you getting power 24x7 in your home?
Them: Yes, mostly. It used to be bad before.
Me: That's Ambani, Airtel, Tata, Adani for you. You are not using BSNL, VSNL, DD, and only Govt generated power anymore. And things have gotten much better. Not worse.
Them: Ok, I didn't look at it that way. But what's Adani's contribution here? They are a crony for Modi.
Me: Well, you can call any capitalist a crony of any government in power. But Adani's contribution is they are the largest private power producer in India. They are the largest private port in India. They import and handle most of India's coal for energy, metallurgical, and industry crucial needs. They are the largest exporters of vegetable oils, frozen food, and many other commodities for India. They are one of the largest foreign exchange earners for India.
Them: That's the issue. They got so big because of Modi!
Me: Nope.
They became the largest private port in 2005. They became the largest power company in 2013. They became the largest foreign mines operator in 2009, even supplying to China. They became the largest frozen and value added food exporter of India in 2012. They became largest coal mines operator in 2010 by getting license to Odisha's mines.
And their power generation and transmission systems have helped you have good power these days. Not only because of your state power generation company!
Them: How come?
The Indian government was trying to connect north and south power grid for decades. But failed and only lost money launching and stalling projects in corruption.
In Jan 2014, before Modi came to power, the project was completed for power grid corporation of India by Adani transmission limited in record time. Simply because Adani wanted to sell their excess power to where the deficit was.
Manmohan Singh himself expressed concern over the delays in grid connection saying excess private and renewable capacity in the north is not being utilized.
Now the surplus northern grid with its damns across perennial rivers is connected to the southern grid with a chronic deficit but high development.
Adani is also the largest green power producer of India. Adding nearly 2.5 Gigawatts to India's renewable clean power capacity.
Are you telling me now that Adani, Ambani, Airtel, TATA are all cronies of the Govt and so should never get projects?
And if they do, then it is only a burden to the people instead of tremendous benefits we gain as a nation?
And are you telling me now that you will benefit from these so called crony capitalists in your life.... but our farmers - that's 94% of them who DO NOT rely on MSP, should not benefit from these same guys you benefit from?
Them: Hmmm... if what you are saying is true then makes sense. But why are the farmers protesting?
Me: Well they are not all the farmers. Those protesting are only 6% of India's farmers. Mostly in Punjab and Haryana where due to free power policies to extract ground water and MSP to buy their excess produce, they started growing rice and stuff not native to their lands. It leads to so many national problems actually.
But to put it simply, they fear this easy money making scheme will wither away due to such reform bills one day. A fear the Govt is trying to allay by giving in writing MSP won't be revoked in future too.
And of course political parties are now trying to create problems for the govt supporting these farmers. And I think all of us know by now that these same parties in their manifestos and other statements, wanted the same reforms done to privatize India's agri procurement sector.
Them: Ok. Makes sense. I didn't know many of these things. It may be a good idea to have private players take over our agriculture too I guess.
Hope they don't exploit the farmers.
Me: Yes, I hope too. But really this has been running in many states with cash crops and farmers have only benefited.