Congress will give legal guarantee of MSP to every farmer: Rahul Gandhi

Farmer protests in Delhi: Rahul Gandhi said that the MSP will be given according to the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission

As the farmers from over 200 unions continue to march towards Delhi to press the Centre to accept their demands, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that Congress has decided to give a legal guarantee of the minimum support price (MSP) to "every farmer". 

"Farmer brothers, today is a historic day! Congress has decided to give a legal guarantee of MSP to every farmer on crops as per Swaminathan Commission," he said in a post on social media platform X in Hindi.

"This step will change the lives of 15 crore farmer families by ensuring their prosperity.This is the first guarantee of Congress on the path of justice."

According to the Swaminathan Commission Report, the government should set the MSP at least 50 per cent more than the weighted average cost of production. This approach is commonly known as the C2 + 50 per cent formula.

The C2 + 50 per cent formula includes not only the direct production costs (referred to as C2) but also factors in the imputed cost of capital and rent on the land.

On Tuesday, several farmer organisations started their march towards Delhi after failed talks with the Centre. The most important demand of the farmers is a legal guarantee for MSP.

The farmers are also demanding implementation of the Swaminathan Commission's recommendations, pensions for farmers and farm labourers, farm debt waiver, withdrawal of police cases and "justice" for victims of the Lakhimpur Kheri violence, reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act - 2013, withdrawal from the World Trade Organization, and compensation for families of farmers who died during the previous agitation, among others.

Owing to the march, central Delhi has been put under a heavy security cover, with personnel in anti-riot gear deployed and metal and concrete barricades regulating access to several key roads. 

Some entry and exit gates of nine Metro stations near important installations in the area have been shut as prohibitory orders remain in force. Section 144 was imposed in Delhi on February 12, barring large gatherings and protests in the city. 

Reports also suggest that the farmers are trying to get past the barricading on the Haryana border. According to PTI, farmers marching from Punjab to Delhi faced tear gas shells and water cannons as police tried to stop large groups from entering Haryana through the Khanauri border in Jind district.