Newly appointed Leader of Opposotion in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday met a delegation of the farmer leaders and representatives and assured them that INDIa bloc will raise the issue of MSP legal guarantee and it will ensure that farmers get their rights.
The meeting of Rahul Gandhi with the 12 farmer leaders from SKM (NP) and KMM from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu took place in his chamber and lasted for over 40 minutes amid the round of allegations that they were not allowed to come to Parliament.
However, soon the farmer leaders were sent inside for a meeting with the Congress leader, whixh was also attended several senior party MPs including Jairam Ramesh, KC Venugopal, Charanjit Singh Channi, Deepender Hooda, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and others.
After the meeting with the farmers, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who is also the MP from Uttar Pradesh’s Rae Bareli said, “In our manifesto, we have mentioned MSP with a legal guarantee.”
He said that the party has done the assessment and it can be implemented.
“We had a meeting right now where were decided that we will talk to the other leader of the INDIA alliance to put pressure on the government that MSP legal guarantee should be given to the farmers of the country,” he said.
In a tweet, he later said, “Legal guarantee of MSP is the right of farmers. INDIA bloc will ensure that they get this right.”
The Congress leader had agreed for a meeting with the farm leaders in his office in the Parliament.
Besides the Congress general secretary organization KC Venugopal, general secretary communications Jairam Ramesh, party MPs from Punjab and Haryana including former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Dr Dharamvira Gandhi, Dr Amar Singh, Deepender Singh Hooda and Jai Prakash were also present during the meeting.
The farm leaders who attended the meeting included Jagjit Singh, Lakhwinder Singh, Shantha Kumar, Abhimanyu, Nallanala Venkateshwar Rao, Pandian Ramalingam, Tejveer Singh, Swaran Singh Pandher, Surjit Singh, Ramandeep Singh Mann, Guramneet Singh and Amarjeet Singh.
Later talking to reporters along with Gandhi, the farm leaders expressed satisfaction and confidence over his (Gandhi’s) assurance to them that the matter related to the legal guarantee for the MSP will be raised in the Parliament effectively and forcefully.
Venugopal later wrote on X, “snubbed by the government, beaten with sticks and welcomed with bullets, these farmers have lost all expectations from the government”.
About the meeting, he said, it discussed the urgent need for a legal MSP guarantee, justice for protesting farmers who suffered at the hands of the Haryana government and various other issues concerning the farmers today.