Parliament: MSP panel after Assembly elections in 5 states, says Union minister Tomar in RS

The Election Commission of India had advised the Centre to announce the formation of the committee after the assembly elections in five states, Union agriculture minister Narendra Tomar said.

Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Friday informed Parliament the Centre would set up a committee on minimum support price (MSP) once the upcoming Assembly polls in five states come to an end. He made the announcement while replying to a query during the Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha.

“The matter is under consideration of the Ministry and the announcement of the Committee will be done after Assembly polls,” Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar said. (PTI File Photo)

He said the Centre had written to the Election Commission of India (ECI) regarding setting up the committee on MSP. However, the poll body had advised the government to announce the formation of the committee after the assembly elections, the minister said.

Referring to the announcement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the committee last year, Tomar said the Centre is committed to keeping its promises.

“The entire country knows that the Prime Minister has announced the formation of a committee to make crop diversification, natural farming and MSP effective and transparent. The government is committed to the announcement made by the PM,” he said during his reply, according to a report by news agency ANI.

On January 31, farmers under the banner of Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), had observed ‘Betrayal Day’ against the Centre’s alleged not keeping its words made to them. Several locations in Punjab and Haryana had witnessed demonstrations by the protesting farmers during the day.

Further, the Morcha, an umbrella body of several farmer organisations, has warned that it would be forced to resume the farmers’ agitation if the Centre reneged on its promises.

“Of the written assurances made by the government of India in the letter to Samyukta Kisan Morcha dated December 9, 2021, not one of them has been fulfilled. The Morcha warns the BJP government against testing farmers’ patience and declares that if the promises are not fulfilled at the earliest, the farmers would be left with no option but to resume the agitation,” read a statement by the SKM.

The SKM also called upon the farmers in Uttar Pradesh, one of the five states where elections are scheduled this month, to “punish” the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party for their alleged anti-farmer stance.