Strongly criticising the negligible Rs50 hike in the minimum support price (MSP) of paddy announced by the Narendra Modi Government a day before, the Punjab Congress on Thursday demanded Rs150 per quintal bonus on paddy.
Congress Deputy leader in the lok Sabha and Amritsar MP Capt Amarinder Singh demanded that the farmers be paid Rs150 per quintal bonus on paddy as Rs50 per quintal hike on MSP was not going to compensate additional costs being incurred by the farmers.
“With not so good monsoons predicted for this year, farmers will have to use their own irrigation which will mean accruing extra costs. State Government must announce Rs150 per quintal bonus on paddy as I had done when I was the Chief Minister,” said Capt Amarinder.“UPA Government was generous towards farmers and had raised MSP at times by as much as Rs150 per quintal. UPA had increased MSP of wheat by Rs710 and paddy by Rs750 in 10 years, and the NDA during six years had increased MSP of wheat by just Rs80 and paddy by Rs70,” he added.
Terming the Centre’s move as a “cruel joke with farmers”, Punjab Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa said that yet another indication of worst that was in store of this government for the people that had come into the power by selling the illusion of ‘achchhe din’ (good days). “This hike is unacceptable and deserved to be rejected,” said Bajwa, who was on the second leg of his tour of Bathinda constituency.