MSP: Hope, myth and reality !! - 27/02/2008
Mr Prakash Singh Badal
Hon. Chief Minister of Punjab
Chandigarh
27 February 2008
Dear Badal sahib,
MSP: Hope, myth and reality !!
Noting the large colour ads in various newspapers promising to fight for MSP for wheat and paddy of Rs.1500/kwt I cannot but feel that the Delhi air that you have recently enjoyed may have caused you to depart somewhat from reality.
Your promise to the suffering farmers of Punjab entails you delivering MSP increments of Rs.500/kwt and Rs.825/kwt for wheat and paddy respectively.
It is stated that the past is a good guide to the future so I would like to remind you of the MSP enhancements for the 10 harvests you campaigned for last time and with which you rewarded the heavily in debt farmers of Punjab with in your last term as CM:
MSP rates increases per kwt.
1997 WHEAT 35 PADDY 35
1998 WHEAT 40 PADDY 25
1999 WHEAT 30 PADDY 50
2000 WHEAT 30 PADDY 20
2001 WHEAT 10 PADDY 20
In 5 years you lobbied your own NDA government to secure in aggregate wheat MSP increments of Rs.145/kwt and paddy increments of Rs.150/kwt.
In 5 years the average annual MSP increments were Rs.29 for wheat and Rs.30 for paddy.
Like much of what your government promises, on this occasion you are grossly misleading the farmer.
Rather than promising increments that no government can deliver in one year, let alone wasting precious government funds of publicising something which would routinely be covered by the press any way, surely you should explain to the Punjab farmers why you failed so miserably in your 3rd term?
Or perhaps you subscribe to the views of Heinrich Himmler, that if you repeat the same lie often enough the people of Punjab will believe you.
As true protectors of the interests of the Punjab farmers the Congress Party will not allow this to happen.
Promise what you can deliver, otherwise you may find the tenure of your 4th term remarkably short !
Kind regards,
Jassi Khangura MLA
