Ominous onions: India’s political connection with its prized vegetable
Onions are also historically more popular in the more populous northern states, which contribute a higher number of MPs to India’s parliament
India's decision yesterday to halt onion exports till March next year has affected Bangladesh already with the price of the vegetables shooting up by nearly 100%.
But the ramifications for Modi's Bharat is much more different – it's not just about increasing domestic availability or keeping prices in check, currently trading at 80 INR per kg.
The vegetable may just be the key to the kingdom itself. This belief isn't just a fanciful one. History itself is testament to it.
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In January 1980, Indira Gandhi's Congress (I) party had marched to power.
Its swashbuckling entry had come off one peculiar promise: taming the price of onions.
Just before the election, inflation meant that onions were unaffordable for many Indians.
But the vegetable is a staple. In some states, if food becomes too expensive, then bread and onions become the go-to option.
Onions are also historically more popular in the more populous northern states, which contribute a higher number of MPs to India's parliament.
If northern India is bristled, then the central government feels the heat.
With onions, it's not just about winning elections. The wrong price can also mean a farewell.
For Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the pages of history are riddled with his party's loss, only due to the wily onion.
When Indira Gandhi came to power, the coalition she defeated was made up of members
In the 1998 state elections, a sharp spike in onion prices led to the fall of the BJP government in the capital New Delhi.
But high prices aren't the only factor. If onions cost too little, then get ready to upset another big voting bloc – the farmers.
In 2018, farmers across India staged protests, blocked highways and dumped onions on the road after prices plunged to as low as one rupee (1.4 U.S. cents) per kg for a crop that costs about 8 rupees a kg to produce.
The prices they sold at didn't reflect the ones at the market, owing to the same problem Bangladesh has experienced: greedy middlemen.
For now, many farmers blame Modi for not fixing a price protection programme which barely covers 7% of India's 263 million farmers, leaving most growers at the mercy of middlemen.
With the Lok Sabha election looming in 2024, Modi is going to have to make some hard choices.
Tears will come, regardless of which way the onion is cut.
