Madhya Pradesh: Congress takes out Kisan Nyay Yatra, demands MSP for farmers

In a significant show of strength, the Madhya Pradesh Congress launched the 'Kisan Nyay Yatra', an initiative aimed at rallying farmers across the state to demand a minimum support price (MSP) for crops and justice on agrarian issues under the BJP government.

The yatra, which began this week, has seen the participation of several senior Congress leaders, including former Madhya Pradesh chief ministers Digvijaya Singh and Kamal Nath, as well as Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) chief Jitu Patwari.

Addressing a gathering in state capital Bhopal, Patwari announced that the Congress will intensify its agitation with a mandi andolan (market protest) once the state Assembly session begins, saying “lakhs of farmers' sons will march to the assembly to demand their rightful MSP”.

"The government is scared. The uproar that the farmers have raised today across Madhya Pradesh must have made this government realise that if you do not pay the farmers for their crops, then next time, the sons of farmers will close the mandis and enter the Vidhan Sabha in lakhs. listen to the sons of farmers as soon as possible," Patwari added.

Singh, who has been a vocal critic of the BJP government, reiterated that the state's farmers are struggling to make ends meet. "Since the BJP took charge, the price of soybean has stagnated, while input costs have skyrocketed. We demand an MSP of Rs 6,000 for soybean, and we won’t stop fighting until farmers receive their due," he said while leading the yatra in Bhopal.

In Chhindwara, Kamal Nath echoed these sentiments, adding that the BJP government had failed to address farmers' issues, repeatedly betraying the agrarian community. "The Congress stands with the farmers, and the nyay yatra is our promise to them," Nath asserted.

The Kisan Nyay Yatra has met with resistance from state authorities, particularly in Bhopal and Indore, where a heavy police presence was deployed in an apparent attempt to prevent the rally from gaining momentum.

In Bhopal, the police erected seven layers of barricades near Suraj Tiraha, while in Indore, permission for a convoy of 150 tractors was denied due to “traffic conditions”. Tensions escalated when Congress leader Reena Bourasi was arrested during the yatra in Bhopal. The police also stationed bulldozers at strategic points to impede further movement by Congress workers.

However, former leader of the Opposition Ajay Singh vowed that the protests would continue, stating, "Our fight for the farmers will not end until the government agrees to Rs 6,000 MSP for soybean."

P.C. Sharma, another senior Congress leader, emphasised that the BJP government had been “cheating farmers”, and that Congress would “not rest until justice is served”.

Unsurprisingly, the BJP responded sharply to the Kisan Nyay Yatra. State BJP president V.D. Sharma criticised the Congress’ move, calling it a political gimmick. "Instead of a nyay yatra, the Congress should take out a kshama yatra (forgiveness march) and apologise to the people of Madhya Pradesh for their years of misrule," Sharma said.

Despite the hurdles, the Congress leaders remain determined, with Raghogarh MLA Jaywardhan Singh leading the yatra in Guna by driving a tractor himself, symbolising solidarity with the farmers. As the political temperature rises in Madhya Pradesh, the Kisan Nyay Yatra is poised to become a significant flashpoint between the Congress and the BJP.