A farmer at Vinchur onion market during farmers and traders’ strike in Nashik. (Representative image)
Credit: PTI File Photo
New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday claimed that there is no constituency that the BJP has "backstabbed" harder than farmers in Maharashtra, saying its government has provided "zero assistance" with rising input prices while also refusing to grant legal status to MSP.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said farmers face a double whammy as during drought, they suffer from poor yields and when rain is abundant -- like in 2024 -- farmers suffer due to sudden crash in prices due to excess produce.
The only solution is the one that the Congress has guaranteed, nationally and at the state level which is a legal status to MSP and setting of MSP as per the Swaminathan Commission’s Formula which means at 1.5 times the comprehensive cost of cultivation.
"Year 2013: Devendra Fadnavis promises Maharashtra’s farmers a price of Rs 6,000 per quintal for soyabean. 2014: The then-fully biological CM of Gujarat promises to implement Swaminathan Commission Report, which would grant legal status to MSP. 2024: Soyabean is trading at about Rs. 4,200 per quintal – far below Mr. Fadnavis' Rs. 6,000 and below the MSP of Rs 4,892," Ramesh said on X.
He noted that Soyabean is grown on an estimated 5 million hectares in Maharashtra. Cotton, another crop whose prices have crashed in recent years and is selling below MSP, is grown on another 4 million hectares, he pointed out.
"Farmers of both these crops have been left to fend for themselves. The Government has made grand promises to procure 1.3 million tons of soyabean but has barely procured 2,000 tonnes so far. Cotton is typically procured on a large scale by the Cotton Corporation of India, but even that has failed to occur this year," Ramesh claimed.
"There is perhaps no constituency that the BJP has backstabbed harder than farmers. They have provided zero assistance with rising input prices. They have refused to grant legal status to MSP," he said.
His remarks come amid campaigning for the November 20 polls in Maharashtra. The counting of votes will take place on November 23.
Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.
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