Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh on Friday faced some tough moments in the Rajya Sabha when Opposition members sought to corner him with pointed questions on farmers’ issues. Members of the Samajwadi Party (SP) staged a walkout apparently dissatisfied with his reply.
Opposition members, cutting across party lines, sought to grill the Minister with direct questions on farmers’ issues, which he did not answer directly and instead said that the government had initiated a host of schemes aimed at doubling farmers’ income, reducing input costs, increasing produce and improved remuneration. JD-U member Pavan Varma asked why the government was going back on its promise of giving MSP to farmers at 50 per cent over their input costs and added that "government had reneged on its promise".