Congress asks Modi to apologise for failing to keep MSP promise to farmers
Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera slammed the government while referring to Rahul Gandhi’s promise to make MSP a legal right
The Congress on Wednesday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to apologise for making false promise on the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops before coming to power at the Centre in 2014.
“We will not ask them [the government] for MSP now. We will fulfil that demand, and we have announced this,” said Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera. He was referring to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s promise to make MSP a legal right if the party returns to power this summer.
Union minister Anurag Thakur slammed the announcement on Tuesday saying Congress’s guarantees have failed and the country has faith only in those of Modi.
Khera said the Congress is guaranteeing relief to 150 million farmer families as soon as the government is formed. “Granting MSP does not mean, as we are being misled to believe, that there will be lakhs of crores of loss to the exchequer. MSP does not mean that the government will buy all the produce. It will buy as much as it needs and the rest will not be sold in the market below that price.”
Khera played a video of Modi purportedly promising MSP as per the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission. “He must apologise for [failing to keep the promise]....” He added Modi promised a “solution” for MSP after he announced the withdrawal of three farm laws in 2021.
Khera dismissed allegations that the previous Congress-led government did not implement the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission. He said it implemented 175 out of 201 of the recommendations.
Khera criticised the measures taken to stem the farmer march to Delhi. “On what authority and under which law have you blocked roads? And this is the question courts have asked too.”
Khera said Modi was sending ministers to meet farmers as he was afraid of meeting protestors in contrast to Congress leaders such as Manmohan Singh, Pranab Mukherjee and Sheila Dixit.
Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee leader Sarwan Singh Pandher on Tuesday said the Congress was equally responsible for farmers’ problems.
