Congress chief Randeep Singh Surjewala on Tuesday alleged that the Centre needs to finish MSP by means of backdoor and Punjab and Haryana farmers are being punished beneath a deliberate conspiracy for opposing the now repealed farm legal guidelines.
He additionally challenged Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini to debate with him on the complete difficulty.
Addressing a information convention right here, Surjewala claimed Punjab and Haryana farmers are being punished beneath a deliberate conspiracy and a design for opposing the three farm legal guidelines.
He alleged that the BJP-led authorities on the Centre, beneath a deliberate conspiracy, needs to finish MSP by means of backdoor.
Surjewala stated much less paddy procurement has taken place until in the present day over the corresponding interval of final yr in Punjab and Haryana.
“There are six elements of the conspiracy. The principal a part of the conspiracy is to complete MSP by means of backdoor, finally abolish the MSP, abolish the grain markets on the sample of Bihar, step by step abolish crop buy at MSP by chopping it down. In the present day, they’ve lower down the acquisition by half, then they’ll lower down by extra. In subsequent 2-4 years, they’ll make MSP redundant, make registration for farmers on designated portal redundant,” he alleged.
“The agrarian marketplace for merchandise on this nation is a Rs 10 lakh crore. Whereas BJP has captured many of the companies for his or her cronie buddies–two or three industrialists—that is the largest market they might not seize. They need to now seize it, they might not do it by means of three black farm legal guidelines as they had been pressured to withdraw these, now they need to do it by abolishing the MSP. If there are not any grain markets and no MSP, farmers will pressured to go to Adani’s silo and promote,” he alleged.
“Go to Dhand or Pundri grain market in Haryana’s Kaithal district. The conspiracy has been unleashed, the grain market has been shut down there,” Surjewala additional alleged.
He stated the BJP is punishing the farmers for agitation in opposition to the black farm legal guidelines “and on this conspiracy, the Narendra Modi authorities in addition to Haryana and Punjab governments are in league”.
There are practically 9,000 rice mills in Punjab and Haryana, most of which do milling of grain procured for PDS and different schemes, he stated.
The federal government creates an obstruction within the enterprise of rice millers in order that the acquisition and milling of the paddy of the farmers bought at MSP is in much less amount, he stated.
“Within the final 5 years, the Modi authorities has made an enormous lower of Rs 3,30,000 crore in subsidy, that’s fertilizer-food-and gas subsidy. Within the yr 2020-21, this subsidy was 3.8 per cent of GDP at Rs 7,58,165 crore, and in yr 2024-25, this subsidy was diminished to 1.3 per cent of GDP, making it Rs 4,28,423 crore. Naturally, agriculture and farmers are struggling the results of this,” he stated.
“The blow of meals subsidy is even larger. Within the final 2 years alone, the Modi authorities has lower the meals subsidy by Rs 78,000 crore. Within the yr 2022-23, the finances expenditure on meals subsidy was Rs 2,83,475 crore, which was diminished to Rs 2,05,250 crore in 2024-25. Who can pay the value for this, the farmers and poor labourers,” he requested.
Surjewala stated there’s a deliberate conspiracy to cut back crop buy at MSP.
“The figures of MSP buy from Haryana-Punjab until October 29 are stunning. All this information is obtainable on the Central Meals Grains Procurement Portal of the federal government of India. This makes the conspiracy clear. In comparison with final yr, until date, the acquisition of 82,88,450 metric tonnes of paddy from Punjab and Haryana has decreased.
“In Haryana, the variety of farmers registered for MSP buy in Haryana is 4,19,532. Variety of farmers who bought paddy on MSP until October 29 is 1,33,114, which suggests the variety of farmers from whom crops weren’t bought on MSP is over 2.86 lakh. When you don’t procure from 3 lakh farmers at MSP, then the conspiracy is obvious,” he stated.
Paddy bought in Haryana final yr was 58,92,721 metric tonnes and until October 29 it’s 37,23,352 metric tonnes, he stated.
The acquisition will finish on November 15. It’s inconceivable to purchase 22 lakh metric tonnes of paddy in 14 days. The result’s clear, paddy is not going to be bought on MSP, he stated.
Surjewala stated promised throughout the polls that farmers will get MSP of Rs 3,100 per quintal for paddy, however they aren’t even getting Rs 2,100.
He stated in Punjab, paddy procured final yr was 1,11,03,434 metric tonnes.
“And until October 29, 2024, how a lot paddy has been procured by Centre and Punjab authorities, it’s 49,84,353 metric tonnes. How will they buy 61 lakh MT in two weeks left now,” he requested.
Variety of farmers registered in Punjab whose paddy was to be procured at MSP in yr 2023-24 was 7,97,659 as in opposition to 3,21,851 in 2024-25, he stated.
“How can the variety of farmers promoting paddy on MSP scale back by 60 per cent? This in itself exposes the conspiracy,” he stated.
Surjewala stated the identical scenario prevails within the nation.
“In yr 2023-24, the variety of farmers in 19 states who registered for paddy buy on MSP was 1,11,03,434, however in 2024-25 this variety of farmers was 51,20,405,” he stated.
Variety of registered farmers diminished for MSP buy in simply 1 yr by over 59 lakh, he stated.
Surjewala stated in yr 2023-24 the paddy bought in 19 states was 7,19,89,675 metric tons.
“In yr 2024-25, paddy bought in 19 states until October 29 is 92,46,463 metric tons. How will the remaining buy be performed in 15 days,” he requested.
