Cong plans meetings with farmers over law on MSPs
Congress in Rajasthan will organise farmers awareness meetings at panchayat level to strengthen farmers’ movement demanding law to guarantee minimum support price (MSP).
Former sports minister and party MLA Ashok Chandna said, “The Congress has decided that in order to awaken the farmers of Rajasthan, kisan andolan needs to be strengthened. For this, Kisan Jagrat Sammelan will be organised at the panchayat level where the real face of BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) will be exposed. The dates of the campaign will be released soon.”
Addressing the newspersons at the state’s party office, Chandna said, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had formed a committee on a working group related to consumer affairs in 2010 and Narendra Modi was made its chairperson. Modi as the chairperson of the committee had recommended in 2011 that payment to farmers should be done on MSP.
“The people of the country made Narendra Modi the Prime Minister of India but today farmers are suffering. A lot of atrocities are being committed against the farmers. How is he behaving
today on the demand for MSP?” he said.
In Rajasthan, during 2022-23, the production target of wheat was 11.11 million metric tonnes and target of procurement was 2.3 million metric tonnes, against which only 3.91 metric ton wheat was procured by the Centre because there were assembly elections in Rajasthan and Congress was in rule. “Because Congress was in power in Rajasthan, farmers were punished for this,” he added.
On PM Modi’s ‘Guarantee’, he said, it was the former United Progressive Alliance (UPA) led by Congress that gave guarantees of employment, education, information and food security.
“Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot too gave guarantees in Rajasthan. Later, Modi made the guarantee word his new jumla (false promise).”
Commenting on it, BJP spokesperson Laxmikant Bharadwaj said, in 2006 the Swaminathan Committee recommendation was presented in the Parliament. “UPA was in power from 2006 to 2014, but no action was taken. It was when Narendra Modi became the PM majority of the recommendations were executed. Even more crops were added under the MSP and record purchase was done. Under the Kisan Samman Nidhi a sum of ₹3 lakh crore has been transferred to bank accounts.”