Rahul Gandhi Advocates Legal MSP during Meeting with Farmers

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday held discussions with a 12-member delegation of farmer leaders hailing from different states, who detailed the various issues they are contending with. Meeting at his office in the Parliament House Complex, Gandhi reiterated the Congress party’s pledge to include a legal guarantee for the Minimum Support Price (MSP) in their manifesto.

Gandhi asserted that assessments show the feasibility of implementing a legal MSP guarantee. He added that the Congress would seek to garner support from other leaders within the INDIA alliance to press the government for this vital measure, aimed at benefiting farmers nationwide.

“In our manifesto, we have mentioned MSP with a legal guarantee. We have done the assessment and it can be implemented,” Gandhi told reporters post-meeting. “We decided to engage with other INDIA alliance leaders to pressure the government to offer farmers a legal guarantee on MSP,” he said.

Party members KC Venugopal, Raja Brar, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Dharamvir Gandhi, Dr. Amar Singh, Deepender Singh Hooda, and Jai Prakash attended the meeting. Earlier, Gandhi alleged that farmer leaders invited by him were initially denied entry into the Parliament Complex.

The farmer leaders were eventually permitted inside after Gandhi himself stepped out to meet them. Gandhi criticized the restriction, suggesting it was due to their status as farmers.

Meanwhile, leaders of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha announced plans to stage nationwide protests, including burning effigies of the Union government and organizing a “long march” supporting opposition bills. The demonstrations will culminate in a tractor rally on Independence Day, August 15.

Addressing a press conference, the farmer leaders encouraged public participation, urging people to rally at key border points in Punjab and Haryana on August 31. Additional rallies will take place in Jind, Haryana, on September 15, and in Pipli on September 22. This follows the Haryana government’s February action of setting up barricades on the Ambala-New Delhi national highway in response to planned farmer marches demanding a legal MSP guarantee.