Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Feb 13: Amid raging farmers’ protest, the Congress on Tuesday announced that it will bring in a law guaranteeing MSP or Minimum Support Price for various crops if it is voted to power at the Centre.
“Farmer brothers, today is a historic day! Congress has decided to give legal guarantee of MSP to every farmer on crops as per Swaminathan Commission. This step will change the lives of 15 crore farmer families by ensuring their prosperity. This is the first guarantee of Congress on the path of justice,” Rahul Gandhi posted on X in Hindi.
The fresh round of farmers’ protests seek to press the Centre to accept farmers’ demands, including the enactment of a law to guarantee a minimum support price (MSP) for crops. The protest this time has been called by Sanyukt Kisan Morcha and Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee led by farmer union leaders Jagjeet Singh Dallewal and Sarwan Singh Pandher.
According to the protesting farmers, the centre promised them better crop prices after which they ended the 2021 protest but so far the government had not taken any step to fulfil the promises made some two years back. They are demanding to enact a law guaranteeing a minimum support price (MSP) for all crops, as recommended by the Swaminathan Commission report. They are also demanding a complete debt waiver and a scheme to provide pensions to farmers and farm labourers.
The Union minister of state for agriculture Arjun Munda said the government was sympathetic to the demands of the farmers and advised the agitating farmers to keep patience pointing out that a measure like MSP for different crops could not be decided off-hand without discussing with all the stakeholders.
Apparently hitting out at the Congress which announced implementation of the MSP law if voted to power, Mr Munda also cautioned the farmers that some “unruly elements” were trying to hijack their march. “Two rounds of talks with farmers were inconclusive. Further discussion is necessary to reach a solution and we ready to find a way out,” he said and added “farmers must keep in mind that others don’t try to take advantage of their protest.”
“There are many forces among them who are trying to defame the farmers. Avoid such people. The government is committed to the interests of the farmers,” he said. Mr Munda was in the government delegation that met the farmer leaders on Monday in Chandigarh to convince them to call off their march to Delhi.
While the meeting led to an agreement over a few demands, no consensus could be reached on three key ones, including the enactment of a law guaranteeing a minimum support price (MSP). “On some issues, we will need to consult the states. We will find a way out. We are always ready to talk and find a solution,” he said.
Dr RB Singh, a Padma Bhushan awardee and member of the Swaminathan Commission, on Tuesday supported the farmers demand for MSP and said such a law was the need of the hour. “For farmers to get the right price for their crops, it is necessary to make a new law on MSP in the country to properly implement the recommendations of the commission.” Dr Singh pointed out that the panel had recommended that MSP should be fixed at a level which was at least 50% higher than the cost of production of any crop. “But this system has not been implemented in a uniform manner in the country,” he said.
The Swaminathan Commission was set up in 2004 and submitted five reports, with the last one in October 2006. Last week, the government had announced the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour, for the head of the commission, Dr MS Swaminathan.
The prominent farmers’ leader Rakesh Tikait, a key figure in the 2020/21 protests against the government’s “black farm laws,” issued an ominous warning to the ruling BJP – scrambling to contain protests that have erupted weeks before a general election – “if government creates a problem for these farmers…” “There are several farmer unions and they have different issues… If the government creates a problem for farmers marching to Delhi, we are not far from them. We are in support of them…”
Mr Tikait is head of the Bharatiya Kisan Union, an Uttar Pradesh-based organisation founded by former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh. Mr Singh this month was awarded a posthumous Bharat Ratna, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailing his “dedication to (the nation’s) farmers.”
The BKU is one of the larger farmer federations in the country and, should it join the agitation that began this afternoon, the scale of the problem facing the centre will increase quite dramatically.
Mr Tikait’s brother, Naresh Tikait, who is National President of the BKU, has urged the government to sit down and hold talks with the farmers. “Protests are underway across the country…government should hold discussions (but) give respect to the farmers… should think and try to solve this issue.”
Last month Rakesh Tikait called for a ‘Bharat Bandh’ on February 16 to press farmers’ demands. He had earlier threatened a bigger agitation than those against the now-repealed farm laws, if the demand for a legal guarantee on minimum support prices was not addressed.
Nearly one lakh farmers, who have the support of about 200 farmer unions, began marching towards Delhi on Tuesday. Among the key demands of the protesting farmers are a legal guarantee for MSP, which will shield them from the vagaries of the market, loan waivers, and implementation of other Swaminathan Commission recommendations.
The farmers marching towards Delhi say they are prepared for the long haul and carrying enough diesel and ration that will last for months. Delhi has been fortified to stop them from entering the city. Key border points including Ghazipur, Tikri and Singhu have been barricaded while concrete blocks and nails have been erected on the roads to prevent tractors and trollies from crossing into the city. The police have also imposed a month-long ban on public gatherings in entire Delhi.
