New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday appealed to protesting farmers to end their agitation against the new farm laws, even as he questioned opposition parties for their sudden “U-turn” on the agriculture sector reforms.
Speaking on the minimum support price (MSP) issue, Modi said that it “was there, is there and will be there in the future”. He said affordable ration will continue to be provided to the poor and that the mandis will be modernised.
Reacting to these comments, farmer leaders said that while the government has repeated “hundreds of times” that the MSP system will not be dismantled, it seems hesitant to provide a legal guarantee to pay this price to crops.
Also read: Farmers Denied Rs 1,900 Crore Due to Sales Below MSP in Last Two Months
According to Hindustan Times, Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait said, “When did we say that MSP is ending? We said that a law should be formed on MSP. If such a law is formed, all the farmers of the country will be benefitted. Right now, there is no law on MSP and the farmers are looted by traders.”
He added that those who want to do “business over hunger” will be driven out of the country.
“The way rates of a flight ticket fluctuate three to four times a day, the price of crops will not be decided the same way. If hunger goes up, price of crops will be decided accordingly,” Tikait claimed, referring to what he saw as the consequences of the farm laws.
He also slammed the attempts to divide the ongoing movement of farmers on caste and religious lines. “This movement was first portrayed as Punjab’s issue, then Sikhs’ then Jats, so on and so forth. The farmers of the country are united. There is no small farmer or big farmer. The movement belongs to all farmers,” he said.
Reacting to the PM’s speech, another farmer leader Abhimanyu Kohar, who is also a member of the Samkyukta Kisan Morcha, said that the government has already said “hundreds of times” that the MSP will not go anywhere and it will remain.
“If the government is claiming that MSP will remain, why doesn’t it provide a legal guarantee on the minimum support price for our crops,” Kohar told news agency PTI.
MSP is a safety net given to the farmers to ensure guaranteed prices and assured markets. The Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) – a central government body – recommends the MSP for 23 commodities. It is decided on the basis of seven criteria, including cost of production.
The MSP-based procurement system is aimed to save the crops from price fluctuations due to various unwarranted factors. However, due to the lack of a law to ensure this price is paid, farmers are already selling their crops at discounted rates.
Also read: India’s Farm Protests: A Basic Guide to the Issues at Stake
Other agricultural reforms
Modi said that the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has been making changes in the agriculture sector since 2014, aimed at improving the lives of the farmers.
Modi said, “While everybody is talking about the farmers’ protest, people have stayed mum on the main reason due to which the [farmers’] movement actually started.”
Modi hailed the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana programme, which he said has been successful in disbursing as insurance claims of Rs 90,000 crore to small farmers over the last four-five years. However, as reported by The Wire, this scheme has received much criticism from experts. Other news reports have said the implementation of the flagship insurance scheme is seriously compromised. The PMFBY covers 5.6 crore farmers and 30% of the cropped area.
Also read: Why Have Some States Lost Interest in the Centre’s Flagship Crop Insurance Scheme?
Modi also praised his government’s PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana, which provides all farmers up to Rs 6,000 per year in instalments as income support.