'Farcical attempt' aimed at 'trivialising' serious issues: Cong on govt's MSP committee

In a statement, Congress rejected the central government committee on agriculture and MSP.

New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday rejected the government's committee on minimum support price, saying it was a "farcical attempt" aimed at "trivialising" the serious issues concerning the agrarian crisis in the country. The government on Monday formed a committee on minimum support price (MSP), eight months after it promised to set up such a panel while withdrawing the three contentious farm laws.

In a statement, Congress rejected the central government committee on agriculture and MSP. "There is no mention of legal guarantee for the MSP in the terms of reference, thus defeating the very purpose of setting it up," All India Kisan Congress Chairman Sukhpal Singh Khaira said. He described the forming of the panel as a "farcical attempt" that clearly aims at "trivialising" the serious issues concerning the agrarian crisis in the country.

He alleged that the purpose of the committee appears to "subvert and sabotage" the interests of the farmers for which they staged a protest for 378 days on the outskirts of the national capital during which about "750 farmers lost their lives and about 40,000 were slapped with false cases". The Centre has made a provision to include three members from the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of farmer unions, in the MSP panel.

Former Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agarwal will be the chairman of the committee. On Tuesday, the SKM rejected the committee, saying "so-called farmer leaders" who supported the now-repealed farm laws are its members, and declared that it will not be a part of the panel. Congress' Khaira condemned the exclusion of Punjab and Punjabi farmers from the committee, saying that "keeping Punjabi farmers out of any agriculture/farm committee is not acceptable, they have given their sweat and blood for a green revolution in the country and ensured food security to the nation when it was importing wheat from abroad".

He also questioned nominal representation to the SKM in the committee. Alleging that the committee was packed with either "pro-RSS/BJP supporters" or those who supported three farm laws, Khaira questioned appointment of former Agriculture Secretary Agarwal as the committee chairman.

Agarwal besides being the architect of the three farm laws, has no practical and grassroots knowledge or experience about agriculture and farming, he alleged. The Kisan Congress chief claimed that the government does not appear to be sincere in its purpose to address the agrarian crisis. "Otherwise it was a golden opportunity to set up a broad-based committee representing farmers and experts from across the country that could suggest ways and means to address the agrarian crisis in the country which can take an alarming turn," he said.

Khaira also questioned the intentions of the central government by limiting the number of representatives from the SKM, which spearheaded the protests against the farm laws, to just three in a committee of 26 members. "They will obviously be outnumbered and outshouted in the committee and their point of view will not be allowed to prevail," he said while asserting that SKM should have been given adequate representation in the committee.

Khaira extended his support to the SKM in rejecting the committee and announcing to launch a protest against what he said was a "great betrayal". "Lakhs of farmers from across the country did not withdraw their protest to get betrayed by this government," he said, adding that the Congress will continue to support the farmers in whatever way they decide to protest, as it has always done in the past.

"We will not let the government get away with such betrayal," he said. The government has notified a committee to make "more effective and transparent" MSP for farm produce. The panel will have 26 members, including farmer representatives, agri scientists and agri economists as well as officials from central and state governments, a notification issued by the Ministry of Agriculture said.

While announcing the repeal of three farm laws in November last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised to set up a committee to discuss the farmers' demand for a legal guarantee on MSP. (PTI)