Gurugram: Shyam Singh Rana, a Rajput leader, has taken charge of Haryana’s agriculture ministry, marking a break from the long-standing tradition of either a Jat or Sikh—two prominent communities into agriculture—heading the crucial department.
The move comes in the backdrop of prolonged agitations by farmers in Haryana and Punjab, primarily involving Jats and Sikhs.
Though the Rajput community in general was not seen as supporting the agitations, Rana, who represented Radaur for the BJP from 2014 to 2019, had quit the party in support of the farmers’ protest against three farm laws in September 2020.
Rana rejoined the party this July, ahead of the Haryana assembly polls in which the BJP clinched a third straight term and Rana won Radaur again. Portfolios were allocated in the new government under Nayab Singh Saini Sunday.
Rana is thus seen to carry an appeal among the farming community in Haryana, known as the heartland of India’s agricultural economy.
The appointment of Rana as agriculture minister—a crucial portfolio given its impact on the state’s economy and the large farmer voter-base—signifies a shift in both political strategy and caste representation in the state’s governance. The change is also viewed as part of the BJP’s broader effort to reach out to non-Jat communities and create a more inclusive political framework.
Rana’s rise to the key ministry is further symbolic of the evolving political equations in the state, where caste has traditionally played a central role in power distribution.
According to political analyst Mahabir Jaglan, Rana is an interesting choice for the ministry and his appointment surprised many. He said the Rajputs were also an agrarian community, but too small in number in Haryana.
“For a long time, the agriculture ministry in Haryana has been handled by a person from the prominent farming communities, be it a Jat or Jat Sikh. Certainly, Shyam Singh Rana also belongs to a farming community, which is largely dependent on agriculture for livelihood. But compared to Jats/Jat Sikhs, Ahirs, Gurjars and Meos, the Rajputs are a small agrarian community in the state with dominance in tiny pockets,” he told The Print.
Jaglan further said that it was interesting to note that the Rajput community was not very vocal during the year-long farmers’ agitation from late 2020 to 2021. “So maybe, the assignment of the agriculture ministry to a Rajput is meant to teach some sort of lesson to Jat and Jat Sikh farmers who were at the forefront of the agitation that forced the (BJP-led) central government to withdraw the three farm laws,” he added.
The move also serves the BJP’s purpose of maintaining the caste divide within the farming community and between dominant farming castes and other castes, Jaglan underlined.
Jyoti Mishra, a researcher at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) in Delhi, too said that in Haryana, a Rajput being appointed as agriculture minister broke the traditional practice of assigning this crucial portfolio to a Jat, a community long associated with agriculture.
She wondered whether the move was meant to bridge the gap between the government and farmers. “Jats are historically known as an agricultural community, holding sway over farming-related policies and ministries. However, Rana, despite being a Rajput, also comes from a farming background. His appointment is strategic, given his previous involvement in the farmers’ movement during the 2020 protests against the controversial farm laws.”
Mishra further said: “Rana had left the BJP during the height of the protests, aligning himself with the farmers’ cause. The decision to appoint Rana to this ministry may be an attempt to bridge the gap between the government and farmers.”
According to Mishra, Rana’s direct connection with the farming community and his support for their agitation suggested that he understood their grievances and interests.
“By positioning him in this role, the government hopes that his experience and rapport with farmers would help in easing tensions and ensuring better communication between the state and the agricultural sector, particularly in a post-protest political environment,” she said.
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Agriculture ministers of Haryana
Former Haryana chief minister and Jat leader Devi Lal, in his first cabinet in 1977, appointed Ran Singh, another Jat, as agriculture minister. In Lal’s second term in 1987, the post was given to his son Ranjit Singh.
When Om Prakash Chautala was CM from 1999 to 2005, Jaswinder Singh Sandhu, a Jat Sikh, was the agriculture minister.
In 2005, Bhupinder Singh Hooda took over as CM and appointed Surender Singh, another Jat, to the post. However, he died in a chopper crash. In Hooda’s second term, Sardar Paramvir Singh, from the Sikh community, was picked as agriculture minister.
When the BJP came to power for the first time in Haryana in 2014, Jat leader O.P. Dhankar had the agriculture portfolio under CM Manohar Lal Khattar. In Khattar’s second term, J.P. Dalal, another Jat leader, got the post.
A national secretary of the BJP, Dhankar told ThePrint that Rana too belonged to an agricultural community and said that he was a good choice for the post.
“It is not that only Jats or Jat Sikhs have an agriculture background. Yadavs, Gujjars, Rajputs and Sainis are also agriculturists. Hence, any leader from any of the castes into agriculture understands the needs and aspirations of farmers equally,” he said.
He used the term AJGAR (Ahir, Jats, Gujjars, and Rajputs) to drive home his point of the castes generally considered to be agricultural castes.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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