New Delhi: Amid the apprehensions about 'foodgrain crisis', the Congress on Thursday demanded that a committee on minimum support price for crops should be constituted immediately as promised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last November.
The Opposition party has also asked the government to publish a white paper on the current crisis of foodgrains by clearly spelling out who has benefitted from the export of wheat. 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," he said, adding that the white paper should also be on the procurement and public distribution system policy in the country. Hooda said that 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," he alleged.
National security, foodgrain security and income of farmers had been endangered due to the government's policies, he said. 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," Hooda said, adding that the Samyukta Kisan Morcha is holding "Vishwasghaat seminars" and party will lend full support to them.