Bring law to guarantee MSP to farmers: Congress leader Raghu Sharma to govt

Hours after Parliament passed a bill to repeal the three agri laws, Congress in-charge for Gujarat Raghu Sharma on Monday demanded that the government bring a law to guarantee farmers a minimum support price (MSP) for their produce.

In a statement, he said the purchase of crops below the declared MSP should be legally prohibited.

The Farm Laws Repeal Bill, 2021, which sought to rescind the three laws passed last year to ease rules around the sale, pricing and storage of farm crops, was taken up by Lok Sabha that passed it within minutes and, thereafter, it was introduced in Rajya Sabha and approved by voice vote. The whole exercise was completed within two hours.

The bill now awaits the assent of President Ram Nath Kovind for the formal withdrawal of the three contentious laws against which farmers have been protesting for the past year.

Sharma said the Centre should bring a law to guarantee farmers an MSP for their crops. The MSP should be a legally reserved price so that no purchase is made below that price.

The former health minister of Rajasthan also said that the MSP should be determined by adding 50 per cent profit over the C2 cost of the Agricultural Cost Price Commission, which was recommended by the Swaminathan Commission and promised by the ruling BJP.

Sharma also sought compensation for the families of 700 farmers who were allegedly killed during the agitation against the agri laws.

Thousands of farmers, especially from Punjab, Haryana and parts of Uttar Pradesh, have been protesting against the three farm laws at Delhi borders since November last year. The agitation completed a year on Friday.