The BJP today made public the letters written by chief ministers of states ruled by the BJP and its allies asking the government to hike the minimum support price (MSP) of paddy from Rs 650 per quintal to Rs 1,000 per quintal. This came after remarks by Finance Minister P Chidambaram that the hike in the MSP of paddy to only Rs 850 per quintal was due to recommendations by certain state governments, all of them BJP-ruled.
While government sources said the finance minister was only briefing the media on the basis of the Cabinet note circulated by Sharad Pawar-headed agriculture ministry, the BJP was in no mood to relent. In fact, it has warned that it will make the MSP issue a major campaign point against the Union government and its "pretense" of being pro-farmer.
The finance minister had said yesterday that "some states like Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa wanted less than Rs 1,000 per quintal as MSP, while some others wanted more than that. In view of these divergent views, the matter was today referred to the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council."
"In fact, Himachal Pradesh wanted the MSP to be Rs 645 a quintal, less than even the current price of Rs 745 a quintal," he added.
In response, the BJP released the letters written by chief ministers of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa asking for an MSP of Rs 1,000 per quintal. "In fact, a few months ago, senior BJP leader LK Advaniji led a delegation which included BJP President Rajnath Singh and I to the prime minister asking for a hike in the MSP to Rs 1,000 per quintal. At that time, the prime minister told us that there could be no parity between wheat and paddy," said senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu.
Naidu said he had spoken to Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who said he would follow up his letter. "The Committee on Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP), which recommends MSPs for various products, had calculated the MSP for paddy as input cost plus 50 per cent profit. The CACP has recommended an MSP of Rs 1,000 per quintal," said Naidu.
