Legal guarantee to MSP, if INDIA block forms govt at Centre, says Rahul

Raipur: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday pledged to provide legal guarantee for the minimum support price (MSP) of farm produce if his party-led I.N.D.I.A. bloc was voted to power at the Centre.

“The pledge will be included in our election manifesto,” Gandhi said while addressing a public meeting in district headquarters of Ambikapur in Chhattisgarh on the sidelines of his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.

Gandhi said the government would compensate the farmers if their produce got less than the MSP in the market by releasing the difference amount to them.

The I.N.D.I.A. bloc would implement recommendations of the Dr M.S. Swaminathan report on farmer issues. He said the BJP government had conferred the Bharat Ratna upon Prof. Swaminathan, but had failed to implement his recommendations who had recommended legal guarantees for MSP.

The Congress leader also slammed the Centre for the police action against the farmers who were marching to Delhi from Punjab and Haryana to press for their various demands including legal guarantee to MSP.

Earlier, AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge said that the Congress was strong enough to protect democracy and the Constitution, and the party is working for this. He said that the Constitution would be in danger if democracy is threatened in the country.

He alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was seeking votes in the name of OBC, religion and God. Kharge accused Modi of working with a vindictive attitude and targeting the Gandhi family.

Gandhi along with Kharge flew to Delhi from Ambikapur in a special flight by suspending the yatra which was scheduled to reach Balrampur in Chhattisgarh on Wednesday before entering Jharkhand. Party sources said that he air-dashed to Delhi due to some emergency developments, which could include farmers’ stir in the national capital.