Agri Min Chouhan accuses Congress of having 'anti-farmer' DNA

New Delhi, Aug 2 (PTI) Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday accused the Congress of having "anti-farmer" DNA, saying the party never gave priority to the farm sector throughout its rule post Independence.

Replying to a discussion on the working of his ministry in the Rajya Sabha, Chouhan highlighted the work done by the Modi government in the last 10 years and said the Centre is committed to providing remunerative prices of crops to farmers as well as urea and DAP fertilisers at highly subsidised rates.

He said the government has six priorities for the growth of the agriculture sector -- increasing farm production, reducing input cost for farming, providing remunerative prices to farmers, adequate relief to farmers in case of natural calamities, diversification and value addition in agriculture, and promoting natural farming.

The minister, also a former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, assured the opposition parties that the central government was open to considering their concrete suggestions and would also try to implement the workable ones for farmers' welfare.

In his one-hour unfinished long speech that will continue on Monday, Chouhan took on opposition parties for accusing the Modi government of working against the interest of the farm sector and rejected the charges of reduction in allocation of funds to agriculture and allied sector in the Budget.

He also dismissed the allegation that the government was not buying enough quantity of foodgrains from farmers at the minimum support price (MSP).

"Congress ke DNA mein hi kisan-virodh hai. Aaj se nahi, prarambh se hi Congress ki prathmiktayein galat rahi hai (Congress DNA is anti-farmer. Not from today, but since the beginning, it has misplaced priorities)," he said.

Taking a dig at the Congress and its leader Rahul Gandhi, Chouhan said that in Mahabharat, they remember only "Shakuni, Chausar and Chakravyuh", which represent "adharm" (unrighteousness), but "we remember only Lord Krishna".

The minister also said the agriculture sector was ignored, and priorities were misplaced during the Congress rule.

People had to eat bad wheat imported from America during the tenure of first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru, he added.

During the rule of late prime minister Indira Gandhi, he said, the government used to forcibly collect levies from farmers.

Late PM Rajiv Gandhi did talk about agriculture price policy but did not take any concrete steps to improve farmers' income, Chouhan said, adding that the late PV Narasimha Rao government did not de-license the industries related to the farm sector.

The minister pointed out that the UPA rule from 2004-2014 was full of scams.

"The priorities of Congress were wrong. Under the leadership of Modi ji, the priorities were changed," Chouhan said and asserted that the BJP-led NDA government is working with a road map for growth of the farm sector.

On opposition charge of reduction in the Budget allocations, Chouhan said the Budget outlay for the agriculture department alone is Rs 1,32,470 crore for 2024-25 against Rs 27,663 crore in 2013-14. The numbers are much higher if taken into account the Budget for allied ministries and fertilisers subsidy, he added.

During the discussion, opposition parties said the Modi government has not done anything for the agriculture sector in the 10-year rule, and even the latest Union Budget falls short of expectations.

Regarding the charges of reducing fertiliser subsidy, Chouhan said farmers are getting fertilisers at highly subsidised prices and assured that they will continue to get the farm nutrients at low prices. The Centre provides extra budget, if required to ensure that farmers continue to get crop nutrients at an affordable rate.

In 2013-14, he said, the fertilisers subsidy was meagre Rs 71,280 crore, while it was Rs 1,95,420 crore in 2023-24.

Responding to Congress member Randeep Singh Surjewala's comment that the government was procuring very small quantities compared to the total production, Chouhan took a dig at him and wondered whether the opposition leader understood farming.

The minister explained that farmers sell at the MSP only when the market price of the crop is lower than the MSP.

"If farmers are getting the right price, they will not sell at MSP," he said, adding that the market price of many crops, including basmati rice, is very high than the MSP.

He further said that farmers keep grains for their own consumption also.

Joining the discussion, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said, "Less procurement at MSP means the situation of farmers is good and they are getting good prices in the market".

The Chairman stressed understanding the problem of farmers from the right perspective and asked the government that the MSP should be regularly enhanced.

To the Chairman's suggestion, Chouhan assured that the government will work in this direction as the Modi government considers farmers as "God" and not a "vote bank". He attacked the Congress for remembering farmers only during elections.

Chouhan said the Modi government is committed to providing remunerative prices to farmers by purchasing quantities at the MSP.

The agriculture minister also criticised the Congress for not focusing on providing irrigation facilities to farmers, which he said was crucial for boosting productivity and production of crops. He highlighted that the government is focusing on the interlinking of rivers and also working on many irrigation projects.

Chouhan also highlighted that the production of foodgrains and horticulture crops has increased significantly in the last 10 years.

He pointed out that the government has taken steps to boost the production of oilseeds and pulses to reduce imports and noted that the output of these two crops has increased. PTI MJH NKD CS MJH BAL BAL