Congress accuses Chouhan of lying in RS, to submit breach of privilege notice

The Congress on Monday accused Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan of "lying" and "misleading" the Rajya Sabha while replying to a discussion on his ministry, and said it would make a case of breach of privilege against him.

Congress general-secretary Randeep Surjewala said the entire Opposition, under the leadership of Congress parliamentary party chief Sonia Gandhi, boycotted the agriculture minister's remarks in the Rajya Sabha and walked out as the Modi government's policies and actions are "anti-farmer".

Millions of farmers are suffering, and the Modi government is intent on "sacrificing" them, Surjewala said. "Agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's lie was caught red-handed because Modi government gave an affidavit in the Supreme Court on 6 February 2015, saying that cost plus 50 per cent cannot be given to the farmers of the country because this will spoil the market," he said at a media briefing.

Chouhan admitted on the floor of the House that the government buys crops at MSP (minimum support price) only when the need arises, which means that the government accepted that it does not buy the farmer's crops at MSP because it does not consider it necessary, he said.

Crores of farmers demand a legal guarantee of MSP and the country’s agriculture minister keeps making empty promises in Parliament, Surjewala said. "This struggle for the rights of the farmers and labourers will continue under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge," he added.

Surjewala said a case of breach of privilege will also be raised against Chouhan on the charge of "misleading" the House and the country.

"The conduct, character and face of the Modi government are anti-farmer. On one hand, the Modi government said in the House that it would give 50 per cent profit on cost and that the Congress had thrown the Swaminathan Commission report into the dustbin.

"On the other hand, Modi government gave an affidavit in the Supreme Court on 6 February 2015, saying farmers can never be given 50 per cent profit on cost and Congress had implemented 175 recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission," he said. "In such a situation, what is the truth and what is the lie? The BJP is just trying to mislead people. This shows that their thinking is anti-farmer."

Veteran Congress MP and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijaya Singh alleged that Chouhan has a "habit" of lying. "Under the leadership of Kamal Nath ji, the Congress government of Madhya Pradesh had waived the loans of about 37 lakh farmers. Former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had also given a statement that farmers' loans had been waived off during the Congress regime," he said.

But in the House, Chouhan claimed that in the opportunity given to the Congress, the farmers' loans were not waived off, Singh said, adding that this is "absolutely false" and proof of that would be provided.

Aam Aadmi Party member Sanjay Singh said Chouhan claimed that he had reduced the price of fertiliser by Rs 10, which is false. "10 kg was reduced in a sack of urea, and while earlier a 50 kg sack used to cost Rs 268, it now costs Rs 266. So only Rs 2 was reduced," he said. "The agriculture minister is misleading the country."

With PTI inputs