Farmers block road in Haryana's Kurukshetra, to hold Mahapanchyat over MSP

Kurukshetra (Haryana) [India], June 12 : Protesting farmers on Friday blocked Delhi-Haryana Highway in Kurukshetra to hold Mahapanchyat over the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of sunflower seeds.

Last week, agitated over the Haryana government's decision not to buy sunflower seeds at MSP, farmers blocked National Highway-44 near Shahabad in Kurukshetra.

Earlier on May 31, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar deposited Rs 181 crore into the bank accounts of 67,758 farmers as compensation for the loss of their crops due to unseasonal rainfall in March-April.

Taking to Twitter, CM Khattar said, "Today, fulfilling the promise made to my farmer brothers, I have sent compensation of Rs 181 crore directly to their bank accounts through just one click, for their damaged crops. In March-April 2023, we had announced compensation for the crop damaged due to unseasonal rains in the month of May, under which today the compensation amount has been released to 67,758 farmers of the state."

Meanwhile, Congress condemned the police action on farmers near Kurukshetra, saying sunflower seeds should be procured by the government at MSP and accused Haryana Government led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of being anti-farmer.

Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Congress Member of Parliament Deepender Hooda said that the BJP government once again showed "its anti-farmer face".

"This government has changed Lal Bahadur Shastri's slogan of Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, which is famous in every village of the country. Now the slogan of this government is " Mare Kisan, Pite Kisan, Jai Dhanwan". The government has come down to dictatorship and incidents of lathi-charge on farmers have become common in Haryana," he alleged.

He appealed to the farmers to be patient. "If this government does not give a legal guarantee of MSP, then there will be a change in 2024 and Congress will fulfil the demand of legal guarantee of MSP as soon as the government is formed," he said.

Hooda said sunflower seeds should be procured at MSP and demanded that "farmers injured in the lathi-charge should be given financial assistance from the government".

He accused the BJP of not fulfilling promises to farmers and of being "pro-rich" and said the party will raise the issues concerning farmers during the monsoon session of Parliament.

Hooda said that the MSP of sunflowers has been fixed at 6400 by the government but private buyers are purchasing sunflowers in the market for Rs 3500-3800.

"The government kept giving dates on the date of starting the procurement and then it was said that it would be taken under the Bhavantar scheme. Even if it is assumed that the farmer will get Rs 1000 in the Bhavantar scheme, even then the farmer would suffer a loss of Rs. 1900-2200 per quintal. Farmers were protesting peacefully for the demand of buying Sunflower on MSP, but the Haryana government used the lathi system," he said.

Congress leader Randeep Surjewala said the government has not provided a legal guarantee on minimum support price and crops had not been bought at MSP.

"Neither there is an MSP law nor the farmer is getting MSP. When the farmers protest they only get lathi-charged," he alleged.

The crops had been damaged due to unseasonal rains in the state in March-April this year.