Congress leader Rahul Gandhi vows to press government for MSP law after talks with farmers

The Congress leader stressed the commitment of the Congress party to secure legal MSP guarantees, referencing their manifesto for the general election. "In our manifesto for the general election, we had promised a legal guarantee for the MSP.

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, announced on Wednesday that the INDIA bloc will press the BJP-led NDA government for a legal guarantee on minimum support price (MSP). This statement followed a meeting with 12 farmer leaders from states including Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka, held within the Parliament complex.

The Congress leader stressed the commitment of the Congress party to secure legal MSP guarantees, referencing their manifesto for the general election. "In our manifesto for the general election, we had promised a legal guarantee for the MSP. We did an assessment and it can be done. In the meeting, we decided to discuss with other INDIA bloc leaders and press the government for its implementation," he said.

The meeting was attended by several Congress Lok Sabha MPs, including KC Venugopal, Deepender Singh Hooda, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, and Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa. Farmer leaders reported assurances from Congress that their demands would be raised in the Lok Sabha, and that an investigation into a recent firing incident in Haryana would be sought.

The firing incident took place on February 21, when Haryana police allegedly used teargas shells to disperse protesting farmers in Hisar, attempting to prevent them from marching towards Khanauri.

In response to the ongoing farmer protests, the Supreme Court proposed the formation of a committee on July 24 to address various farmer demands, including the legal guarantee of MSP for crops. The court has instructed the Central government and the state governments of Haryana and Punjab to suggest individuals for inclusion in the committee. Additionally, the court ordered a status quo for a week on the Shambhu border near Ambala, where farmers have been camping since February 13.

The farmers' demands include a legal guarantee of MSP for crops. In the Union Budget for 2024-25, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced an allocation of Rs 1.52 lakh crore for the agriculture and allied sectors.