Nagpur: Rajya Sabha member and Congress general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala accused the BJP-led Central and Maharashtra govts of causing massive losses to soyabean farmers in the state.
Addressing media in Nagpur on Saturday, Surjewala — who is in Nagpur as part of assembly poll campaign — claimed that farmers suffered a staggering ₹24,000 crore loss this season due to flawed policies.
Surjewala pointed out that the Modi govt set the minimum support price (MSP) for soyabean at Rs 4,892 per quintal, while farmers were forced to sell their produce in the open market for just Rs3,000-3,500 per quintal. This discrepancy translates to a loss of Rs1,892 per quintal for farmers.
Despite Maharashtra producing 73 lakh metric tonne soyabean, the Centre targeted procurement of 13.23 lakh quintal at MSP. "As of November 15, only 4,000 quintal soyabean was procured leaving 74% of crop unsold," he said.
He cited Mahayuti govt's letter to Centre which mentioned that cost of soyabean cultivation in Maharashtra stands at Rs6,039 per quintal. Surjewala accused the Modi govt of setting the MSP far below production cost, compounding farmers' losses.
Surjewala also criticised BJP govt's import duty cut on crude soyabean oil from 17.5% to 13.75%. This, he claimed, encouraged imports of 38.5 lakh tonne soyabean oil worth Rs47,000 crore and left farmers distressed. He pledged that a Congress-led govt in alliance with NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT) would pay Rs7,000 per quintal MSP to soyabean farmers to compensate for losses caused by difference between central govt's MSP and state's procurement rate if voted to power in state.
Surjewala accused BJP, Modi-led central government, and Mahayuti government of being inherently anti-farmer. "Farmers will neither spare them nor pardon them for committing the unpardonable crime of looting their livelihoods, denigrating lives, and decimating their profession," he said.
Surjewala claimed BJP's indifference towards women's welfare and financial empowerment led to delayed implementation of "Ladki Bahin Yojana". Had their intention been sincere, women would have received payouts long ago. Poor performance in Lok Sabha elections, especially in Maharashtra, forced the BJP to work on "Ladki Bahin Yojana", he claimed.
Highlighting Congress's welfare achievements in Telangana and Karnataka, Surjewala credited his party for providing Rs2,000 monthly assistance to 1.11 crore women and free bus travel to women, benefitting 362 crore passengers over two years. He added that Congress also ensures free electricity for 1.21 crore households, showcasing the party's capability to deliver on its promises.
However, ground reality in both Congress-led states is starkly different from Cong MP's claims. Barring free bus travel, none of the welfare schemes have been implemented by the two states, sources said.