Farmers' march meets BJNY: Congress promises legal guarantee of MSP

Indian National Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge promised a legal guarantee of a minimum support price (MSP) when the party comes to power, calling it a "historic pledge".

Addressed a large gathering in Ambikapura, in Surguja district of Chhattisgarh today, 13 February, Kharge stood alongside Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders on the pan-India Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.

Today, even as far afield as Chhattisgarh, it was certainly impossible to look away from the farmers' 'Delhi Chalo' agitation in the national capital region. After all, the crux of the matter dovetails neatly with the BJNY premise of ensuring justice to all, and especially, to farmers, labourers, women, youth and community workers.

Rahul Gandhi, who has been leading the BJNY, also spoke of the MSP promise and derided the Narendra Modi government for acknowledging the vision of agricultural expert M.S. Swaminathan with a Bharat Ratna—while remaining reluctant to implement his recommendations.

This, then, was the Congress' very first "guarantee", its first poll promise, ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, even as Kharge accused the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government of “destroying” both kisan and jawan in the 10 years of its regime.

Kharge also took the opportunity to contest the Congress poll promises, realised in the states where it has come into power, with the ineffectual and unrealiable "Modi ka guarantee" schemes.

"If Congress comes to power at the Centre (after the Lok Sabha polls), it will ensure legal guarantee to MSP in the interest of farmers. It is our first guarantee," Kharge said.

One of the demands of the farmers participating in the 'Delhi Chalo' march is the enactment of a law guaranteeing an MSP for all crops.

"Swaminathan-ji has clearly said in his report that farmers should get the legal right to MSP," said Rahul Gandhi, when it was his turn to address the crowd.

And yet the BJP-led central government, he alleged, was using tear gas against farmers and lodging them in jails instead of accepting their just demand for an MSP. "When they are just demanding that they should get a better return for their hard work and farm produce," said Gandhi.

Gandhi indicated that the recommendations of the Swaminathan Committee might be included in the Congress and/or INDIA bloc's poll manifesto, as he mentioned that the alliance would honour all the recommendations in the Swaminathan Report when it forms a government.

Earlier in the day, Gandhi and Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also held a jan sunwai (a townhall meeting of sorts) at the Ambikapur farmers' market. As the complement to the public address, this was an arrangement for the people to let their representatives know what they wanted.

Predictably, the MSP was the foremost demand of the farmers. It was accompanied by discussion of the difficulty getting timely, accessible loans and lack of storage facilities for produce so the maximum benefit may be gleaned from any harvest, with no wastage or spoilage.

Rahul Gandhi pointed out the presence of T.S. Singh Deo, the coordinator of the party’s manifesto committee.

"This is our beginning. Our manifesto is being prepared. We are going to work for farmers and labourers," Gandhi promised on behalf of INDIA and the Congress.

With PTI inputs