Congress slams Centre for not implementing Swaminathan report

Karnal, June 22

Congress Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Surjewala accused the Union government for not implementing the Swaminathan Commission report, which recommends MSP at 50 per cent more than the cost of production. He also criticised the government for not implementing the law ensuring the MSP.

“The BJP came to power with a promise of implementing the Swaminathan Commission report and doubling the farmers’ income, but it has failed to fulfil it in the past 10 years,” said Surjewala while interacting with mediapersons at Kisan Bhawan in Kaithal on Friday.

He took a dig at the hike of the MSP for the upcoming season and said it was not as promised by the government.

The BJP had promised to double the income of nearly 62 crore farmers by 2022, but the reality is different.

“While fixing the MSP of kharif crops, Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government did not accept the recommendations of the BJP-ruled states. It has also not given MSP based on the recommendation of the Swaminathan Commission,” he added.

He referred to the BJP as being anti-farmers and said this government had reduced the budget of agriculture and the amount that was earmarked was not used. He alleged that the agriculture budget was 4.41 per cent of the Union Budget in 2020-21, which was reduced to 2.57 per cent in 2023-24.

“The Modi government did not spend even Rs 1,00,000 crore in the past five years on agriculture and instead it has returned it,” he alleged.

Surjewala also alleged that the BJP government has removed nearly 1.53 crore farmers from the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme.