Cotton MSP issue: Congress slams govt relief package

Says farmers want significant increase in MPS for cotton rather than relief package

Opposition Congress in Gujarat today criticised the state government's announcement of Rs 1,100 crore relief package to farmers, alleging that it was just another stunt by the BJP-led government.

Shankersinh Vaghela, the Leader of Opposition in Gujarat Assembly criticised the Rs 1,100 crore relief package to farmers and said farmers always wanted significant increase in Minimum Support Price (MPS) for cotton rather than relief package.

"The relief package announced yesterday is just another stunt by the state government. Farmers never asked for such package. They always wanted significant increase in Minimum Support Price (MPS) for cotton. Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS) too cheated the farmers by holding secret back door meetings with the government," Vaghela alleged in a press release here.

Yesterday, BKS had organised a massive rally here for their demand to increase the minimum support price (MSP) of cotton and other agriculture produces.

When the rally was underway, the state government declared a relief package of Rs 1,100 crore for all the farmers, including cotton-growers in the state.

The package included 50 per cent subsidy on interest on short-term agricultural loans taken by farmers, which comes to around Rs 600 crore. Another relief includes 50 per cent subsidy on electricity bill of all the farmers, which comes to around Rs 500 crore.

Vaghela claimed that it was the Congress, not BKS, which had first raised the cotton MSP issue during the earlier Assembly session two months back. "Government claims that no one except BKS made representation on this issue. It was the Congress legislators who first raised the issue in the Assembly. But, it seems that the BJP government doesn't want to give credit to Congress," he said. He alleged that the state government was hand-in-glove with BKS to take the credit by claiming that no one else except BKS made a representation on the issue.