Chandigarh, September 9
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab MLA and Kisan Wing state president Kultar Singh Sandhwan termed the minimum support price (MSP) announced by the Union government for Rabi crop as a jest with the farmers. Sandhwan alleged, “Claiming to double the agricultural income of the farmers by 2022, the Narendra Modi government has avenged the farmers of Punjab and Haryana along with the country, for agitating against the Union government by increasing the price of wheat measly by Rs 40 per quintal.”
In a statement issued from the party headquarters here on Thursday, Kultar Singh Sandhwan said the MSP announced by the Narendra Modi-led central government on Rabi crops was just an announcement as there was no guarantee to procure any crop at the fixed price; which the farmers of the country had been demanding for a long time. He said the Narendra Modi government should also clarify who and where would one buy the crops from the farmers at the announced price of gram, mustard, maize, sunflower and barley; so that the farmers could get some benefits.
Sandhwan further said, “The central government has hiked the price of wheat by just 40 paise per kg, while diesel has gone up by Rs 12.15 per litre in the last nine months. In addition, prices of fertilizers and pesticides have gone up sharply.” He said the declared price of Rabi crops was negligible due to rising inflation and cost of farming. The Narendra Modi government should reconsider this meager increase, he added.
Kultar Singh Sandhwan demanded that the Narendra Modi government should fix the prices of crops in line with the rising inflation rate every year so that the income of the farmers could be doubled. He further said that if the government wanted to do good to the farmers in the true sense of the word; then it should obey the farmers of the country and immediately repeal the black farm laws. Meanwhile, the government should also give legal recognition to the MSP announced and take strict legal action against those who buy crops below this.
