Farmers Movement Archive

Centre’s wheat MSP hike pathetic, says Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh

Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Wednesday dubbed the wheat MSP hike of ₹40 per quintal by the Centre as “pathetic”. Amarinder Singh slammed the Union government for “rubbing salt into the wounds” of farmers, who have been out on roads agitating against the Centre’s farm laws for the past around 10 months. The Centre on Wednesday hiked the minimum support price (MSP) for wheat by ₹40 to ₹2,015 per quintal and asserted that the system of procuring crops at support prices will continue. At a time when the country’s agriculture sector is passing through a “distress” phase and the farmers are agitating for a remunerative MSP, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government played a “cruel joke” on the “annadaatas”, said the CM in an official statement. He demanded wheat MSP of ₹2,830 per quintal. Singh said farmers should not be forced to subsidise the consumers, which they have been doing since long. “Why is the Centre treating our farmers so obnoxiously,” he asked.

Hindustan Times

09-09-2021

Chandigarh