NEW DELHI: Stepping up attack on the Centre over the India-US trade agreement, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged on Saturday that the government has not honoured its promises to farmers and is prepared to sacrifice India’s agriculture for its own interests.
In a social media post, the Leader of Opposition shared a question he raised in the House recently: whether the Centre would announce a minimum support price for crops and whether the trade agreement with the US would change its existing MSP policy.
“In the Lok Sabha, I asked a question: Why has the promise of a statutory MSP—calculated at C2+50 per cent—made to farmers in 2021, not yet been implemented?” Gandhi said the government chose to sidestep his query.
“Evading a direct response, the government merely reiterated its existing MSP policy. The government also admitted to pressuring states to discontinue MSP bonuses—a move it sought to justify, without any logical basis, in the name of national priorities,” Gandhi said in his post in Hindi.
The LoP said another critical question is whether the trade agreement with the US speaks of reducing non-trade barriers. “Does this imply an intent to undermine the MSP mechanism and government procurement?” Gandhi asked. The government is evading this question, he claimed. “We will continue to raise our voices -both inside and outside Parliament—to defend farmers’ rights and protect the minimum support price,” the Congress leader asserted.
‘Govt prepared to sacrifice agriculture for its interest’
The government not only refuses to honour the promises made to farmers, but it is also prepared to sacrifice Indian agriculture for the sake of its own interest, Gandhi alleged in his post. “We will continue to raise our voices—both inside and outside Parliament—to defend farmers’ rights,” he said.