The Congress on Thursday launched a fresh attack at the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre over various issues related to the farmers and claimed that their income has come down under the ruling dispensation.
Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters, chairman of All India Kisan Congress (AIKC) Sukhpal Singh Khaira said, “In February 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised to double farmers income by 2022. If the inflation is accounted for, the farmers’ income has actually reduced during these years.”
He claimed that the Congress-led UPA government between 2004 and 2014 had more than doubled the farmers’ income.
“The minimum support price (MSP) is one of the basic parameters of determining the income of farmers. The UPA government had doubled the MSP of wheat and paddy, two main crops, within 8 years of coming to power,” Khaira said.
He added, “After the independence, Modi government is the first Government of India, which imposed GST on pesticides, fertilisers and farm appliances, yet a meagrely increase in MSP was affected by it.”
Taking a swipe at the PM over doubling farmers’ income by 2022, the Congress leader asked what happened to the recommendations of the committee set up for the purpose in 2016.
“The government of India constituted a Doubling of Farmers’ Income Committee (DFIC) in 2016 which had submitted its report in 2018. The report is still gathering dust in the corridors of power”, he said.
