Punjab CM, Raja Warring spar over paddy MSP

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann today slammed Pradesh Congress Committee chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring for ‘misleading’ people with his erroneous statement that the Advocate General appealed to the Supreme Court to end MSP on paddy.

He said the AAP government had filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court to secure the interests of the state. Citing the affidavit, Mann said the state government had submitted that the incentives by the Centre for a period of 40 years had led to the adoption of the cultivation of paddy in the state by providing remunerative pricing under minimum support price.

The Chief Minister said in order to diversify cropping pattern, the affidavit stressed on minimum support price and other incentives to be provided to farmers to make it viable for them to adopt other crops.

Mann pointed out that the state government had pleaded that a sustainable campaign would be required for changing behavioural pattern of farmers. He said the implementation of these measures would go a long way in managing crop residue.

The Chief Minister said Warring had been quoting some affidavit from his own ‘whims and fancies’ which reflects the non-serious attitude of the Congress MLA.

He added that Warring should remember that there was a huge difference between writing a letter for bodies of buses and that of securing interests of the state in the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, Warring said the state government’s actions were contrary to the welfare of farmers and overall well-being of the state.

“When Justice Kaul inquired about the efficacy of discontinuing the MSP for paddy to address stubble burning, your Adovcate General contended that it would be the optimal solution. In the Congress government’s affidavit issued in 2020, we advocated for the continuation of MSP on the current crops i.e. wheat and paddy and further incorporation of more crops into the MSP,” Warring said.