Shivraj Chouhan blames Congress again for problems in agricultural sector; Opposition walks out in Rajya Sabha
Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar asks Mr. Chouhan to look at pending issues of farmers
Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan speaks in the Rajya Sabha during the Monsoon Session of Parliament, in New Delhi on Monday.
| Photo Credit: ANI
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on August 5 said the Centre will work tirelessly for the welfare of farmers and agriculture in the country.
While replying to the debate in Rajya Sabha on a discussion on the functioning of his Ministry, Mr. Chouhan responded to the criticism from the Opposition side that issues such as the demand for a guaranteed minimum support price (MSP) are still unresolved. He said the government is moving towards solutions through dialogue and collaboration with all stakeholders.
Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar too asked Mr. Chouhan to consider the unresolved issues of farmers.
The Opposition, which was not satisfied with the reply, walked out and claimed that Mr. Chouhan misled the Upper House. Senior Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala told reporters outside the House that Mr. Chouhan’s “lie” was caught red-handed because the Centre had given an affidavit in the Supreme Court on February 6, 2015, that MSP as per the MS Swaminathan Commission formula cannot be given to the farmers because it will spoil the market.
Earlier, Mr. Dhankhar had warned Mr. Surjewala that he will name him if he continues his protests in the House. Senior Opposition MPs Digvijaya Singh and Sanjay Singh gave a note to the Chairman asking that they should be given time to speak as Mr. Chouhan mentioned their names in the reply made on Friday and on Monday. Mr. Dhankhar, however, rejected the request saying that Rules of the House do not allow it.
Mr. Chouhan, in his speech, blamed the Congress for not taking care of farmers and urged the political parties to treat farmers as humans, not as a vote bank. He said cooperation between the Union and State governments is important for farmers’ welfare. Without naming anyone, he said a Congress leader undertook a grand journey and during a visit to a field in Sonipat, Haryana, he made a reel with several cameramen. “Focus was more on the cameramen than on the farmers, asking the cameramen where to stand and what to do,” he said.
He said the Prime Ministers who came from the Congress never prioritised farmers. “In his Independence Day speeches, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru did not mention farmers even once in 1947, mentioned them once in 1948, and made no significant discussion from 1949 to 1961. The late Indira Gandhi also mentioned farmers only a few times in her August 15 speeches and never discussed policies for farmers. Late Rajiv Gandhi also never prioritised farmer welfare. In contrast, Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned farmers multiple times in his speeches from 2014 to 2021, emphasising agriculture and farmers’ welfare, showing that farmers were close to his heart,” he said.
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