The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led Central Government must bring a legislation to guarantee a Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops to protect the interests of farmers in the country, said Bharatiya Kisan Union leader Rakesh Tikait on Sunday.
Stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had advocated the MSP while he was Chief Minister of Gujarat, Mr. Tikait said that Mr. Modi at the time had wanted a nationwide law to ensure that farmers’ interests were guaranteed. However, the Centre today was deliberately skirting a debate on the issue, he said.
Mr. Tikait was in Mumbai to participate in a ‘ kisan mahapanchayat ’ (farmers’ mega conclave) held in the city’s Azad Maidan under the umbrella of the Samyukta Shetkari Kamgar Morcha (SSKM).
“The Centre should bring a law to guarantee MSP to farmers. There are several issues related to the agriculture and labour sectors that need attention and we will travel all over the country to highlight them,” said Mr. Tikait, who is also leader of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha - a federation of farmers and other outfits that has been protesting the contentious farm laws which were repealed recently.
The farmer leader further demanded that financial aid be given to the kin of farmers who died during the year-long protest against the three agriculture laws introduced by the Centre and finally rolled back by the PM earlier this month.
Mr. Tikait, who was in Hyderabad earlier this week, had said that it was the onus of every Government in the country to come to the aid of the kin of the 750-odd farmers who lost their lives agitating against the three farm laws.
Among the demands of the protesting farmers camped at Delhi’s borders since November last year had been the revocation of the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers’ (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act besides a new law enacted to guarantee the MSP on crops.
