Legal guarantee for MSP will make farmers drivers of GDP growth: Rahul | Political News – Business Standard

Legal guarantee for MSP will not make Indian farmers a burden on the budget but ensure they become drivers of GDP growth, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Tuesday as he alleged that “lies” are being spread that the MSP guarantee is not feasible under the government’s budget.

In a post in Hindi on

“Lie – It is not feasible to provide legal guarantees for MSP in the Government of India budget. Fact – According to CRISIL, giving MSP to farmers in 2022-23 would have resulted in an additional burden of Rs 21,000 crore on the agriculture sector. the government, which constitutes only 0.4 percent of the total budget,” Gandhi said in his post.

In a country where bank loans worth Rs 14 trillion have been waived and a corporate tax exemption of Rs 1.8 lakh crore has been given, why does even small expenditure on farmers irritate them, he wondered.

With the legal guarantee for MSP, investment in agriculture will increase, demand in rural India will increase and farmers will also gain confidence in growing different types of crops, which is a guarantee for the prosperity of the country, Gandhi argued.

“Those who create confusion about MSP are insulting Dr Swaminathan and his dreams,” the former Congress chief said.

The legal guarantee for MSP will not make Indian farmers a burden on the budget but make them the drivers of GDP growth, he asserted.

Gandhi also tagged a video clip of Modi at a BJP event, talking about the party’s decision to give farmers a rate for their crops based on the Swaminathan formula.

Gandhi’s comments come a day after farmer leaders participating in the ‘Delhi Chalo’ agitation rejected the Centre’s proposal to purchase pulses, maize and cotton at MSP for five years by government agencies, saying it was not in the interest of the farmers and announced that they would march towards the national capital on Wednesday.

Protesting farmers stayed at Shambhu and Khanauri points on Punjab’s border with Haryana after their ‘Delhi Chalo’ march to press the Center for various demands, including a legal guarantee for MSP for crops, was stopped by security forces leading to clashes last week.

Besides a legal guarantee for MSP, the farmers are demanding implementation of Swaminathan Commission recommendations, pension for farmers and agricultural laborers, waiver of farm debts, no increase in electricity tariff, withdrawal of police cases and ‘justice’ for the victims of the disaster of 2021. Lakhimpur Kheri violence, reintroduction of the Land Acquisition Act – 2013, and compensation for the families of the farmers killed during an earlier unrest in 2020-2021.

First print: February 20, 2024 | 11:01 am IST