SKM slams BJP for not mentioning MSP at Swaminathan Commission formula in manifesto

SKM slams BJP for not mentioning MSP at Swaminathan Commission formula in manifesto

Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Monday said the manifesto of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has no mention of the MSP at the formula suggested by the Swaminathan Commission and called it an ''open challenge'' against farmers and farm workers.

In a statement issued on Monday, the SKM said the election manifesto of the ruling BJP is silent on agrarian crisis in the country, even as farmers' suicides continue unabated, and said it will intensify campaign to ''depose BJP.'' ''The BJP manifesto 2024 released as 'Modi ki Guarantee' has no mention on the MSP at C2+50 percent as recommended by the Swaminathan Commission, guarantee on procurement, farmer's suicide and loan waiver,'' the SKM said in a statement. ''The manifesto says - 'will continue to increase MSP from time to time' without any reference to inflation and price rise. In the context of the countrywide farmers struggle, the BJP manifesto deliberately silent on the acute agrarian crisis is very significant,'' the SKM said. ''Other political parties in their election manifesto have been categorical on the agrarian crisis and the need of remunerative MSP as recommended by Swaminathan Commission among others,'' it added. They said PM Samman Nidhi of Rs 6,000 per year means a meagre Rs 500 per month to a farmer household.

''Though 1,00,474 farmers and 3,12,214 daily wage workers -- total 4,12,688 persons- have committed suicide during 2014-2022, the Modi Government did not provide debt relief of a single rupee to farmer and farm worker households despite the promise BJP made in the 2014 election manifesto,'' the collective said.

They said during the last nine years under the Modi rule - from FY 2014-15 to FY 2022-23, the scheduled commercial Banks have written off an aggregate loan amount of Rs 14.55 lakh crore to the corporate houses.

''In the election manifesto 2024, BJP keeps silence on the serious issue of agrarian crisis when 30 farmers' suicide happens daily across India,'' it said.

Calling it an open challenge against farmers, the SKM said it will intensify their campaign against the BJP.

''SKM considers the BJP’s election manifesto 2024 as an open challenge against the farmers and farm workers across India and that needs to be replied by intensifying the campaign of expose, oppose, punish BJP,'' they said. The SKM, which had spearheaded the farmers' protests of 2020-21, said state level coordination committees will locally plan the forms of campaign and how to reach out maximum villages and people to discuss the importance of solving the agrarian crisis and the necessity to protect the livelihood of farmers and farm workers as part of the election agenda 2024.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)