In Delhi, Hours before meeting the Union Minister of Agriculture Narendra Singh Tomar on Tuesday, Haryana Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) President Gurnam Singh Charuni said that state farmers want the Center to offer an undertaking that the procurement of food grain will continue under the minimum support price (MSP).
“We want the Center to send an undertaking under the MSP to continue the procurement of food grain. Let the private players buy all food grains from the farmers, but they must be guaranteed not to be permitted to procure the goods below the Center’s MSP, “Chari said.
But he dismissed the efforts of a group of three BJP MPs to reach out to the farmers of the state over the weekend as an eyewash.
BJP president of Haryana OP Dhankar had named three party MPs to meet with leaders of the farm union to ease the concerns of agitating farmers on the farming ordinances.
On Tuesday, Dhankar, Minister of State Agriculture JP Dalal, the three MPs, namely Bhiwani-Mahendergarh MP Dharambir Singh, Hisar MP Brijendra Singh, Kurukshetra MP Nayab Singh Saini representatives of the farmers are calling on Tomar.
“We would hand over a report to the minister of agriculture of the Union based on feedback and suggestions from the farmers,” Dhankar said.
Chari, who was invited to the talks, said, “The primary goal behind setting up a committee of the three MPs was to throw the dust into the eyes of agitating farmers.
This committee was set up to confuse the farmers and alleviate the crisis, “Chari said, who comes from a village near Shahbad.
What is the committee’s locus standi? This is more of an eyewash. Is this MSP problem limited only to Haryana? It pertains to the farmers of the entire nation, “he said.
FARMERS IN POSITION TO PROTEST:
Farmers, who were in protest mode and were prevented from holding a rally in Kurukshetra’s Pipli grain market against the recent agricultural ordinances of the Centre, last week were lathi-charged, placing government on the backfoot.
The panel given out by the three MPs on Monday is reporting to Dhankar in Delhi. By night, Charuni was invited to hold talks first with BJP MP Dharambir Singh and then with Union Agriculture Minister Tomar on Tuesday, who was leading the farmers stir in Haryana.
While the ruling BJP in Haryana accused the opposition, particularly Congress, of attempting to politize the issue and creating doubt about the three agricultural ordinances in the minds of farmers.
Dalal explained that the Center’s ordinances have only given farmers an option to sell their crops at a higher price if a private agency wants to buy grains from outside government mandis at a higher price than the MSP.
