Senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala on Saturday accused the BJP governments at the Centre and in Haryana of ignoring the interests of farmers by allegedly deciding to make a value cut in the minimum support price of wheat for high moisture content and shrivelled or broken grains.
He demanded that the Central government roll back the order, alleging that there was a delay in payment to several farmers by the Haryana government for wheat procurement.
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Mr. Surjewala alleged that the Central government decided on a value cut of ₹15 in the minimum support price of wheat because of moisture content and other issues. He called it a “black chapter in the exploitation of farmers by the BJP government”.
He criticised the State government for accepting the Centre’s order of value cut without even protesting. “We will not accept this anti-farmer order and the State government must take up the issue with the Centre. If the BJP government at the Centre does not address the pressing problem of farmers, the State government must bear the cost, not farmers,” he said.
“There should not be any reduction in the minimum support price in the guise of shrivelled and broken grains because of rain and hail. The farmers of the State should not suffer for the government’s failure to provide adequate and timely facilities for wheat procurement,” he said.
Mr. Surjewala said the BJP-JJP government in the State was ignoring the interests of farmers and leading them towards economic destruction. The Modi and Khattar governments should know that anything detrimental to the interests of farmers will never be tolerated by the people, he said.
