A group of Congress MPs on Friday staged a protest on the premises of the Parliament, demanding the implementation of a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) for farmers in the national capital.
Protesting MPs held banners with slogans written on them – a legal guarantee for MSP for farmers and to listen to them.
This comes after a large contingent of farmers gathered at the Shambhu border, demanding the government to address their 12 demands, including the MSP guarantee.
Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda demanded the central government to talk to farmers. Hitting out at the central government, Hooda said that during the last farmers’ protest, the government had promised MSP to the farmers, but now it seems like they are going back from this promise.
“Earlier when farmers protest had happened, the government had promised MSP to the farmers. Since this promise was not fulfilled, farmers have been protesting at Shambhu border. Today again, the farmers have decided to march to Delhi which is a sign of the government going back on its promise. We demand that the government should talk to the farmers immediately…” Hooda said.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh in a show of solidarity with protesting farmers, announced the party’s unequivocal support for their ongoing march to the Parliament.
Taking to his official handle on X, Jairam Ramesh posted, “Farmers are marching to Parliament today. Their protest has received a huge booster dose after getting support from the Vice President and the Honourable Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. Farmers and their organizations are continuously agitating.”
The Congress leader reiterated the farmers’ demands for: a legal guarantee for MSP and fixing MSP at 1.5 times the comprehensive cost of cultivation as per the recommendations of MS Swaminathan Commission.
Ramesh highlighted the need for restructuring the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana and called for an independent agency to oversee agricultural trade policies.
The renewed call for a ‘Delhi Chalo’ march by farmers comes as farmer unions maintain that several demands, including the MSP guarantee, are yet to be addressed.
Sukhwinder Kaur, a protestor said that there are 12 demands and the main demand is the MSP and that they are ready for talks with the government.
She said, “We have 12 demands and our main demand is that of the MSP. The Punjab government said they would do it but even after waiting for one month, they didn’t and we protested against it. We are ready to talk to them but they have not asked us anything. We are not begging; we are just asking something for what we do. Where are we at fault?”
As tensions mount, opposition leaders are rallying around the farmers, urging the government to engage in meaningful dialogue. The situation is being closely watched, with political and public pressure on the government to resolve the crisis effectively.