Bhupinder Singh Hooda urged the Center to present a fourth bill in Parliament assuring MSP (Archive)
New Delhi:
When the central government decides to attack the opposition using the Haryana contract farming rules implemented by Congress, former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, under whose tenure the legislation was implemented, launched an attack on the Center for ” cite rules selectively “.
Mr. Hooda urged the Center to introduce a fourth bill in Parliament that guarantees the minimum subsistence price (MSP) to farmers for their products.
Speaking to ANI, Mr. Hooda said that nowhere in the contract farming rules did he dilute MSP’s guarantee to farmers.
Citing the rule, he also read rule 6 of the Haryana government notification.
“The agreed rate or the contract rate will not be less than the minimum support price for the current year … when there is no minimum support price or agreed rate, the amount of the guarantee will be calculated at a rate of 15 percent of the prevailing settlement rate in the market, “said Mr. Hooda, citing the rules.
The Opposition leader in the Haryana Assembly said: “The contract farming agreement between the sponsor and the contract farming producer must be registered with the district marketing control officer in the presence of both parties.”
Responding to a statement by Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to the media, Mr. Hooda stated that “he (Prasad), as a minister, should not selectively cite rules” and added that “the protest against the bill will end if the government announces the MSP for all farmers. “
“Our demand is to present the fourth bill that the contractual agreement must not be less than MSP. Buying products with less than MSP must be punished by law. MSP calculations must be in formula C2 and in the report of the Swaminathan Committee. In Haryana, the mandis are full of crops but there is no sale. There is a relief sale, “said the senior congressional leader.
The Center, in order to counter opposition on the agricultural bills, had cited the electoral manifestos of Congress and the implementation of contract farming in Haryana.
On allegations that the farmers’ protest was being pushed by Congress, Hooda said: “I am above the political parties and I am the son of a farmer. If they bring the bill, I will welcome it. I want them to introduce the fourth bill. to secure MSP. If they are saying they will give, then what is the problem with bringing the bill? “
Regarding the government’s claim that farm laws have eliminated middlemen, the former chief minister of Haryana said that “aarthis” (brokers) are useful to farmers and have become ATMs for them.
Congress and other opposition parties have been boycotting Parliament’s proceedings because the government “does not agree” with the Opposition’s suggestions on the agricultural bills and the non-repeal of the suspension of the Rajya Sabha deputies.
Eight opposition MPs were also suspended by Rajya Sabha’s president on Monday over the uproar and unruly scenes at the house on Sunday.
Parliament recently passed the 2020 Farmers and Agricultural Products Trade (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill and the 2020 Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Guarantee and the 2020 Agricultural Services Bill and the Essential Products (Amendment) Act 2020.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is posted from a syndicated channel.)
.
