'Congress DNA is anti-farmer since the beginning,' says Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan

During the rule of late prime minister Indira Gandhi, Chouhan said, the government used to forcibly collect levies from farmers.

New Delhi: Attacking Congress for accusing the Modi government of working against the interest of the farmers, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday said the party never gave priority to the farm sector throughout its rule post Independence.

“Congress DNA is anti-farmer. Not from today, but since the beginning, it has misplaced priorities," the Minister said while replying to a discussion on the working of his ministry in the Rajya Sabha.

Taking a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Chouhan said that in Mahabharat, they remember only "Shakuni, Chausar and Chakravyuh", which represent "adharm" (unrighteousness), but "we remember only Lord Krishna."

During the Congress rule, the Minister said, the agriculture sector was ignored, and priorities were misplaced.

"People had to eat bad wheat imported from America during the tenure of first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru. During the rule of late prime minister Indira Gandhi," he said adding that, the government used to forcibly collect levies from farmers.

Highlighting the work done by the Modi government in the last 10 years, he said the Centre is committed to providing remunerative prices of crops to farmers as well as urea and DAP fertilisers at highly subsidised rates.

He said the government has six priorities for the growth of the agriculture sector -- increasing farm production, reducing input cost for farming, providing remunerative prices to farmers, adequate relief to farmers in case of natural calamities, diversification and value addition in agriculture, and promoting natural farming.

The minister, also a former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, dismissed the allegation that the government was not buying enough quantity of foodgrains from farmers at the minimum support price (MSP).

On the opposition charge of reduction in the Budget allocations, Chouhan said the Budget outlay for the agriculture department alone is Rs 1,32,470 crore for 2024-25 against Rs 27,663 crore in 2013-14. The numbers are much higher if taken into account the Budget for allied ministries and fertilisers subsidy, he added.