Farmers forced to sell below MSP: Hooda

Former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda has alleged that farmers are being deprived of minimum support price (MSP) for their crops.

“Paddy, millet and cotton have started arriving in mandis, but in the absence of government procurement, farmers are being forced to sell at distress prices, far below MSP,” he said. “After facing the devastation of floods, farmers are now being forced to endure yet another blow at the hands of the government.”

Responding to a query on the INLD, Hooda said: “Every party in a democracy has the freedom to conduct politics and organise programmes. But usually, parties showcase their achievements. The BJP and INLD stand out as parties with no record of achievements to present. The INLD is functioning as a proxy for the BJP, which never contests the Congress directly but relies on allies like the INLD and JJP to split anti-BJP votes and mislead the public.”

Hooda accused both parties of failing farmers. “What was the condition of farmers during their rule? During the INLD regime, farmers were fired upon. Lands of debt-ridden farmers were confiscated, and they were arrested and imprisoned. Even the cost of food served in jail was added to their debt burden.”

He said: “People of Haryana still remember that under the INLD-BJP regime, hooliganism was rampant and governance was virtually run from jail. It was the Congress government in 2005 that freed the state from this atmosphere of intimidation.”