Congress on Wednesday accused the Modi Government of “cheating farmers” on Minimum Support Price hike for Kharif crops for the 2018-19 marketing season to gain votes.
Party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said that MSP is a jumla by BJP. “Farmers are being cheated by the Central Government,” he said. Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Surjewala said that in May 2014 Modi gained support of the farmers through false promises but in last four years farmers did not receive right MSP.
Congress reacted after government hiked the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for paddy by Rs 200 per quintal to fulfill its poll promise to provide farmers 50 per cent more than their cost of production.
The party in a statement said that the previous highest hike in paddy MSP was Rs 170 a quintal in the 2012-13 the election year of UPA-II. In the last four years, the NDA Government has raised the paddy MSP between Rs 50-80 per quintal. While the BJP had promised in 2014 to give farmers a price of 1.5 times of cost, an announcement to give effect to the promise was made in the Government’s fifth and final annual Budget presented on February 1 this year.
“Farmers in India are bearing a heavy weight of debt. It is the duty of central and state government to resolve this issue. loan waiver by UPA Government, Congress Government in Karnataka had provided relief to the farmer,” said Surjewala.