UP farmers forced to sell crops at less than MSP even now: Priyanka Gandhi

NEW DELHI: In her latest swipe at the Central government over the recently enacted farm laws, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday said that farmers across Uttar Pradesh are forced to sell their paddy crops at prices less than the Minimum Support Price (MSP).

The Congress leader, taking to Twitter, accused the BJP government at the Centre of not listening to the farmers. She also posted a video of a farmer alleging corruption in crop procurement at the Mohammadi Khiri mandi.

"The BJP government is holding a government Khat Sammelan on the bills, which are against the interest of the farmers, but is not listening to the pain of the farmers. In almost all places in UP, farmers are forced to sell their paddy at Rs 1,000 to 1,100 per quintal Rs 800 less than the Rs 1,868 per quintal MSP," she tweeted (roughly translated from Hindi).

In the following tweet, she said, "This is when the MSP is guaranteed. Imagine what will happen when the MSP guarantee is removed."

This comes amid the protests against the recently enacted farm laws by opposition parties and farmers' organisations at several places across the country. The opposition has alleged that the new farm laws do not guarantee MSP for the farmers.

The BJP, on the other hand, has said that it is committed to continuing the MSP.

Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had last week termed the recent agriculture sector reforms "a very important step in improving the agriculture sector of the country and increasing the income of farmers" and assured that MSP and government procurement would continue.