By PTI
NEW DELHI: The Congress on Thursday demanded a committee on minimum support price for crops be constituted immediately as promised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last November and also sought a white paper on the “prevailing foodgrain crisis” in the country.
Congress leader Deepender Singh Hooda claimed that foodgrain stocks in India were at a 15-year low and per capita stocks at a 50-year low.
This is why the government had reduced wheat allocations to 10 states, including BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat, he alleged.
“We want to tell the government to immediately set up the MSP committee as promised to farmers by the prime minister to provide a legal guarantee to minimum support price.
“The government should also publish a white paper on the current crisis of foodgrains, clearly spelling out who has benefitted from the export of wheat.
The white paper should also be on the procurement and public distribution system policy in the country,” he told reporters.
Hooda said the Congress stands with farmers and will raise their demands in the upcoming session of Parliament starting July 18 besides extending moral support to the farmers ‘Vishwasghaat Seminars’ from July 18 to 31.
“The BJP government’s motto is to stand with some big industrialists and serve them while exploiting farmers and farm labourers,” the Rajya Sabha MP from Haryana alleged.
National security, foodgrain security and income of farmers had been endangered due to the government’s policies, he alleged.
Taking a dig at the BJP-led Union government, Hooda alleged that it has put its promise of doubling farmers’ income and setting up a committee on MSP in the same basket as its “unfulfilled” promise of providing two crore jobs and bringing black money from abroad.
“This may be viewed as either a ‘jumla’ (rhetoric) or betrayal with farmers,” he alleged.
The Congress leader also said his party stands with the demands of farmers and would support them in their agitation.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha is holding “Vishwasghaat seminars” from July 18 to 31 across the country and the party will lend its full support to them, he said.
