New Delhi [India], March 14 : Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Saturday alleged that the BJP government was "sacrificing" Indian agriculture for their "own self-interest" as he accused them of evading his questions on Minimum Support Price (MSP) and the interim trade agreement with the US.
Rahul Gandhi, in a post on Facebook, expressed dissatisfaction with the answers by Bhagirath Choudhary, Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, to his unstarred questions in the Lok Sabha.
"In the Lok Sabha, I asked the government a direct question: Why has the promise of a statutory MSPcalculated at C2+50%made to farmers in 2021, not yet been implemented? Evading a direct response, the government merely reiterated its existing MSP policy," Rahul Gandhi said.
"The government also admitted that it exerted pressure on states to discontinue MSP bonusesa move it sought to justify, without any logical basis, in the name of "national priorities," he added.
On his questions whether India's commitment to reduce "non-trade barriers" with US affect the India's policies on genetically modified crops, MSP and public procurement, Rahul Gandhi said that the government "evaded" that question as well, criticising their approach towards farmers.
"Another critical question arises: the trade agreement with the United States speaks of reducing 'non-trade barriers." Does this imply an intent to undermine the MSP mechanism and government procurement? The government is evading this question as well. The Modi government not only refuses to honour the promises made to farmers, but it is also prepared to sacrifice Indian agriculture for the sake of its own self-interest," he said.
"We will continue to raise our voicesboth inside and outside Parliamentto defend the rights of farmers and to protect the MSP," he added.
Rahul Gandhi has constantly targeted the central government over the deal, predicting that the deal will be "devastating" for the agriculture sector.
India and the United States had on February 7 announced that they had reached a framework for an Interim Agreement regarding reciprocal and mutually beneficial trade (Interim Agreement).
Key terms of the Interim Agreement included India eliminating or reducing tariffs on all US industrial goods and a wide range of US food and agricultural products, including dried distillers' grains (DDGs), red sorghum for animal feed, tree nuts, fresh and processed fruit, soybean oil, wine and spirits, and additional products.
It said the United States will apply a reciprocal tariff rate of 18 per cent under Executive Order 14257 of April 2, 2025, as amended, on originating goods of India, including textile and apparel, leather and footwear, plastic and rubber, organic chemicals, home decor, artisanal products, and certain machinery.
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