Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Chandigarh, May 22: Exposing what the party lambasted as its anti-farmer face, the Congress today targeted the Narendra Modi government for its betrayal with the farmers and dubbed the amendments to the land acquisition legislation by this government as the Life Acquisition Act.
Former Union Minister and Member of Parliament, Mr Rajiv Shukla said the one year rule of the Modi government could appropriately be described as “Kisan Virodhi-Narendra Modi”.
He said while Modi was busy ‘beating drums’ and ‘playing violin’ from Japan to Mongolia, a grave agrarian crisis of unprecedented scale was overshadowing the farm sector exposing food security of the country to risk. This epidemic catastrophe resulted from the intentional indifference and cruel mal-governance of BJP-led NDA Government, which was deaf to the agony and anguish of the farmers and had failed to respond to their concerns.
He took on the Modi government for its failure to keep its promises made to the farmers including Swaminathan Committee report on the fixation of minimum support price and bringing more crops under this system. Moreover, there was acute shortage of fertilizers. Farm exports had dipped substantially and suddenly.Area under agricultural had fallen pointing to mismanagement in the farm sector under one year goal of Modi government.
He said to top it all, catering to the needs of a few crony capitalist friends, Mr Modi was hell bent upon grabbing farmers most prized and primary possession – their his land. Mr Modi’s land ordinance was actually Life Acquisition Ordinance. What was shocking was that this government had filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court expressing its inability on February 6 last describing Swaminathanm formula as a distortion. Having been cheated and short charged, India’s farmer stands at cross roads today. The increase in MSP of various crops under this government had been negligible as compared to the UPA regime.
(Figures in Rupees per Quintal)
| Sr.No. | Name of Crop | Congress Government(2004-05 to 2013-14) | Modi Government(2014-15) | ||
| MSP | Increase | MSP | Increase | ||
| 1 | Wheat | 640 to 1400 | 760 | 1400 to 1450 | 50 only |
| 2. | Paddy (Rice)(a) Normal
(b) Grade-A |
560 to 1310590 to 1345 | 750755 | 1310 to 13601345 to 1400 | 50 only55 only |
| 3. | (a) Cotton Desi(Medium Staple)
(b) Cotton American (Long Staple) |
1700 to 37001960 to 4000 | 20002040 | 3700 to 37504000 to 4050 | 50 only50 only |
| 4. | Sugarcane | 73.50 to 220Given on
10.02.2014 |
146.50 | 220 to 230 | 10 only(proposed for 2014-15) |
| 5. | TUR (ARHAR) | 1390 to 4300 | 2910 | 4300 to 4350 | 50 only |
| 6. | MUNG | 1410 to 4500 | 3090 | 4500 to 4600 | 100 only |
| 7. | Barley (JAUN) | 540 to 1100 | 560 | 1100 to 1150 | 50 only |
| 8. | Maize (MAKEE) | 525 to 1310 | 785 | 1310 | No Increase |
| 9. | Millet (BAJRA) | 515 to 1250 | 735 | 1250 | No Increase |
| 10. | Soybean YellowSoybean Black | 1000 to 2560900 to 2500 | 15601600 | 25602500 | No IncreaseNo Increase |
| 11. | Groundnut | 1500 to 4000 | 2500 | 4000 | No Increase |
He said unseasonal rains and hailstorms damaged nearly 200 lakh hectares of Rabi crops driving the farmer to abject penury, indebtedness and finally suicide. However, the Modi government refused to grant relaxation beyond 14% in moisture norms. It was only after Mr Rahul Gandhi’s visits to grain markets of Punjab on April 28 followed by an effective intervention by him in Parliament that Modi government decided to relax moisture norms.
This sordid saga of policy failures and mal-intent exposed the anti-poor, anti-farmer and anti-agriculture face of the Modi Government, he added.
