Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala.
Credit: PTI File Photo
Chandigarh: Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala on Tuesday alleged that the Centre wants to end MSP through backdoor and Punjab and Haryana farmers are being punished under a planned conspiracy for opposing the now repealed farm laws.
He also challenged Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini to debate with him on the entire issue.
Addressing a news conference here, Surjewala claimed Punjab and Haryana farmers are being punished under a planned conspiracy and a design for opposing the three farm laws.
He alleged that the BJP-led government at the Centre, under a planned conspiracy, wants to end MSP through backdoor.
Surjewala said less paddy procurement has taken place till today over the corresponding period of last year in Punjab and Haryana.
"There are six parts of the conspiracy. The principal part of the conspiracy is to finish MSP through backdoor, ultimately abolish the MSP, abolish the grain markets on the pattern of Bihar, gradually abolish crop purchase at MSP by cutting it down. Today, they have cut down the purchase by half, then they will cut down by more. In next 2-4 years, they will make MSP redundant, make registration for farmers on designated portal redundant," he alleged.
"The agrarian market for products in this country is a Rs 10 lakh crore. While BJP has captured most of the businesses for their cronie friends--two or three industrialists---this is the biggest market they could not capture. They want to now capture it, they could not do it through three black farm laws as they were forced to withdraw these, now they want to do it by abolishing the MSP. If there are no grain markets and no MSP, farmers will forced to go to Adani's silo and sell," he alleged.
He said the BJP is punishing the farmers for agitation against the black farm laws "and in this conspiracy, the Narendra Modi government as well as Haryana and Punjab governments are in league".
However, a Haryana government spokesperson said Surjewala's statements pertaining to MSP, reduction of paddy procurement by 50 per cent etc. are "misleading, intended to deceive the public and nothing but a bundle of lies and beyond facts".
In a statement, the government spokesperson said the deadline for paddy procurement set by the Centre is November 15.
"This time, the target for paddy procurement is 60 lakh metric tons (for Haryana), while as of October 28, procurement agencies have already procured 44.58 lakh metric tons of paddy, leaving ample time to procure the remaining 14.36 lakh metric tons. Last year, a total of 58.94 lakh metric tons of paddy were procured," he said.
He clarified that all types of crops are procured by the state according to the MSP and guidelines set by the Centre.
The spokesperson further said sufficient stocks of DAP and urea fertiliser are available in the state.
Meanwhile, Congress general secretary Surjewala said there are nearly 9,000 rice mills in Punjab and Haryana, most of which do milling of grain procured for PDS and other schemes, he said.
The government creates an obstruction in the business of rice millers so that the purchase and milling of the paddy of the farmers purchased at MSP is in less quantity, he said.
"In the last five years, the Modi government has made a huge cut of Rs 3,30,000 crore in subsidy, that is fertilizer-food-and fuel subsidy. In the year 2020-21, this subsidy was 3.8 per cent of GDP at Rs 7,58,165 crore, and in year 2024-25, this subsidy was reduced to 1.3 per cent of GDP, making it Rs 4,28,423 crore. Naturally, agriculture and farmers are suffering the result of this," he said.
"The blow of food subsidy is even bigger. In the last 2 years alone, the Modi government has cut the food subsidy by Rs 78,000 crore. In the year 2022-23, the budget expenditure on food subsidy was Rs 2,83,475 crore, which was reduced to Rs 2,05,250 crore in 2024-25. Who will pay the price for this, the farmers and poor labourers," he asked.
Surjewala said there is a planned conspiracy to reduce crop purchase at MSP and said the figures of MSP purchase from Haryana-Punjab till October 29 are "shocking".
"All this data is available on the Central Food Grains Procurement Portal of the government of India. This makes the conspiracy clear.
Compared to last year, till date, the purchase of 82,88,450 metric tonnes of paddy from Punjab and Haryana has decreased.
"The number of farmers registered for MSP purchase in Haryana is 4,19,532.
Number of farmers who sold paddy on MSP till October 29 is 1,33,114, which means the number of farmers from whom crops were not purchased on MSP is over 2.86 lakh. When you do not procure from 3 lakh farmers at MSP, then the conspiracy is clear," he said.
Paddy purchased in Haryana last year was 58,92,721 metric tonnes and till October 29 it is 37,23,352 metric tonnes, he said.
The purchase will end on November 15. It is impossible to buy 22 lakh metric tonnes of paddy in 14 days. The result is clear, paddy will not be purchased on MSP, he said.
Surjewala said promised during the polls that farmers will get MSP of Rs 3,100 per quintal for paddy, but they are not even getting Rs 2,100.
He said in Punjab, paddy procured last year was 1,11,03,434 metric tonnes "and till October 29, 2024, how much paddy has been procured by Centre and Punjab government, it is 49,84,353 metric tonnes. How will they purchase 61 lakh MT in two weeks left now," he asked.