MSP legal guarantee: Opposition stages protest in Rajya Sabha

The trouble began when Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan listed steps taken by the government for the welfare of farmers but stopped short of talking about a legal guarantee for crop support prices.

New Delhi: Legal guarantee on minimum support price (MSP) to farm produce rocked in Rajya Sabha on Friday with Opposition parties led by the Congress on Friday created a ruckus and obstructed proceedings in the Rajya Sabha.

The trouble began during Question Hour when Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan listed steps taken by the government for the welfare of farmers and spoke about the committee looking into strengthening the MSP system but stopped short of talking about a legal guarantee for crop support prices.

Upset with the minister’s reply, Congress MPs, including Randeep Surjewala and Jairam Ramesh, protested, saying that the Minister’s reply was incomplete.

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar tried to diffuse the situation, saying the minister had given a detailed reply and if the members were not satisfied, they should use available avenues to seek answers.

Opposition members, however, refused to relent and continued to shout slogans, disrupting proceedings for a few more minutes.

Earlier, in his replying during supplementaries, Chouhan said the government has set up a panel on MSP and would consider the recommendations once the report is submitted.

"I would like to state that serving farmers for us is like worshipping God," the Minister said, adding that the panel has been formed to give suggestions on making the MSP system more effective and transparent.

Additionally, he said, the committee has been asked to examine the feasibility of giving greater autonomy to the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) and ways to make it more scientific.

To ensure higher prices of crops for farmers, a mandate has also been given to the committee to suggest steps for strengthening the agricultural marketing system in line with the changing needs of the country. This committee is also working on issues like natural farming and crop diversification, the minister said.

"Whenever the panel submits its report, the government will examine it," Chouhan said.

On the question of whether the government wants to give a legal guarantee of MSP to farmers or not, the minister said it is continuously working towards farmers' welfare. The MSP rates have been increased regularly to give proper prices to farmers, he added.

The minister said the Modi government gives MSP after adding 50 per cent profit to the cost of production.