Delhi: Farmer organizations from across the country have once again reached Delhi demanding MSP guarantee law for the compulsory purchase of farmers' crops at the Minimum Support Price (MSP). Farmers have reached to participate in the three-day convention, which will continue till October 8, under the banner of 'MSP Guarantee Kisan Morcha .'
Punjab Khod, a village in outer Delhi, has been chosen as the venue for the program. Farmer representatives from 25 states of the country have reached Delhi to participate in the convention. Convener VM Singh told ETV Bharat "on the first day of MSP Guarantee Kisan Morcha , about 3000 farmer representatives and around 200 farmer organizations from across the country have reached. One of our primary demands is MSP guarantee law."
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Singh said, 'before the election of 2024, the government should bring this law because it is a very old demand and all the farmers of the country want that they should get a fair price for their crops. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi used to be the Chief Minister of Gujarat, he himself, being the chairman of the Chief Minister's Committee, had put the demand that MSP should be made mandatory, in writing to the then Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh. Today when he himself is in the post of Prime Minister, he should fulfill the demand of making MSP mandatory.'
Singh also said that he had made the same demand in September 2020 when he had a meeting with Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar. But the central government did not listen to them. Now the time has come for the farmers to once again unite and demand for MSP Guarantee Law.
Farmer leader and former MP from Maharashtra Raju Shetty has also been associated with VM Singh in this campaign. Raju Shetty has introduced the Private Member Bill in Parliament for the MSP Guarantee Act while being an MP, which was supported by 21 political parties, but despite this, this law could not be made.
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Raju Shetty said that 'today only five per cent of the crop is procured by the government. The rest is sold in the market itself. If procurement at MSP becomes mandatory, then it will be a big relief for the farmers. If minimum wage rate can be made mandatory in the country, then MSP guarantee law is also possible provided the government has the will.'
On the other hand, the farmers leaders have once again rejected the committee constituted by the Central government on MSP and other demands of farmers and said that this committee has been constituted only to eliminate the issue.
