V-P Jagdeep Dhankhar to Shivraj Chouhan: Was there any promise to farmers, why wasn’t it met?

Addressing Chouhan, Dhankhar said in his speech in Hindi: “Krishi Mantri ji, ek-ek pal aapka bhari hai. Mere aap se agrah hai, aur Bharat ka Samvidhan ke tahat, doosre pad par virajmaan vyakti aap se anurodh kar raha hai, ki kripya karke mujhe bataiye, kya kisan se vaada kiya gaya tha, kiya gaya vaada kyun nahi nibhaya gaya, vaada nibhane ke liye hum kya kar rahein hai? Gat varsh bhi andolan tha, is varsh bhi andolan hai, kalchakra ghoom raha hai, hum kuch nahi kar rahein hai.” (Agriculture Minister Sir, every moment is important for you. I urge you, and as the person holding the second-highest constitutional position in India, I request you to please tell me, was a promise made to the farmer, why has the promise not been fulfilled, what are we doing to fulfil the promise? There was an agitation last year, and there is one this year as well… time is passing, but we are doing nothing.”)

“You are the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development. I am reminded of Sardar (Vallabhbhai) Patel, and his responsibility to unify the nation, which he did so excellently. This challenge is before you today, and it should not be considered any less than the unity of India,” he said.

While Dhankhar did not elaborate on the promise he was referring to, the government had formed a committee to make Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops more “effective and transparent” in 2022, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the withdrawal of the three farm laws. The farmers have been demanding a legal guarantee for MSP. The committee is yet to submit its report.

Dhankhar said that if India has to become a developed nation, everyone’s income has to increase eight-fold, and the farmers and rural economy have the biggest contribution. “I fail to understand why we cannot work out a formula in consultation with economists and think-tanks that will reward our farmers,” he said.

“We should all know, was any promise made to the farmer? Honorable Agriculture Minister, did the previous agriculture ministers make any written promises? If so, what happened to them?…We cannot fight with our own people, we cannot put them in this situation where they are left to fight on their own. We cannot hold the ideology that their struggle will be limited, and they will eventually tire out,” he said.

Dhankhar asked why there was no dialogue with farmers, who have been protesting at the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh borders this week. Saying that he felt hurt and concerned that there had been no initiative so far, he said dialogue with farmers should start immediately.

He said while a developed India was not just a dream but a goal today, farmers were still suffering. “My pain is that the farmer and those who are his well-wishers are silent today, hesitant to speak. No force in the country can suppress the voice of the farmer. A nation will pay a huge price if it tries the patience of a farmer,” he said.

This isn’t the first time that Dhankhar has raised the farmers’ issue. On Sunday, speaking at an event in the Capital, he said: “How can we sleep when the problems of farmers are not being solved quickly… The problems of farmers should be resolved at a fast pace. If the farmers are in trouble, it is a great loss to the country’s pride and this happens mostly because we keep our voice to ourselves.”

Meanwhile, tagging a post from the Vice-President’s office on Dhankhar’s remarks, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X: “The Indian National Congress is continuously asking this question… When will the legal guarantee on MSP become a reality? When will the Swaminathan formula be implemented to decide MSP? When will farmers get the same benefits as capitalists who have been given relief from debt?”