New Delhi: The recent agitation in Madhya Pradesh was not of the farmers but of the Congress, the central government said on Wednesdayin the Lok Sabha.
Rural Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar accused the Congress of stoking the agitation in Mandsaur district of Madhya Pradesh and making it violent for its “political” benefit.
“It is not the farmers who protested against the MP government but it was artificially created by the Congress,” he said while intervening in a debate on the agrarian situation in the country.
Admitting that prices of some commodities like moong, urad and onions had fallen sharply, the minister said, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had held a meeting with the farmers to address their concern.
After meeting with the Chief Minister on June 4, farmers of the area were satisfied with the increased procurement price offered by the government and had called off their agitation, he said.
“MP mein kisano ka andolan nahi tha, Congress ka andolan tha (in MP, it was not an agitation of farmers but of Congress),” Tomar said.
The agitation had turned violent and six people were killed in the police action on June 6.
Tomar, who hails from Madhya Pradesh, said the government of the state is very sensitive towards farmers and has done a lot for their income upliftment.
Noting that agriculture is prominent part of Indian economy, Tomar said, the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been laying much emphasis on the sector and aims to double farmers income by 2022.
The government, since taking charge, has taken a lot of initiatives including Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and soil health card to promote agriculture and make it profitable, he said.
The government has made the crop insurance scheme more feasible by tweaking it, he said, adding a lot of focus has been provided to organic farming.
He observed that since agriculture is a vast area, results are visible only over a period of time.
Earlier, participating in the debate, BJD member Bhartruhari Mahtab said declaration of Minimum Support Price (MSP) does not provide the needed financial relief to the farmers.
Although PMFBY has been tweaked, it requires further improvement, Mahtab said, adding that there is a need to make insurance companies accountable for three years.
He said the agrarian crisis has increased manifold since Independence and hence the farmers have good reason to be angry.
