Centre's stance on farmers' protest hypocritical: Congress leader Jairam Ramesh

Garhwa (Jharkhand) [India], February 14 (ANI): Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday lashed out at the centre over the farmer issue saying that there is a need to understand chronology now.
"The Swaminathan committee in 2006-07 presented their report on MSP. After that former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wanted to take a decision. He formed a panel of the National Development Council. The chief of this body was then the Chief Minister of Gujarat Narendra Modi. In Feb 2011, the panel submitted a report to Manmohan Singh. Modi then stated that MSP must be given a legal status. Talks were held. We then lost power at the centre," explained Jairam Ramesh.
He further supported farmers saying that the Congress party is with the protesting farmers.
"They are the backbone of our society. The centre must listen to the farmers' demands," he said.
"He gave the Bharat Ratna to MS Swaminathan and also Chaudhary Charan Singh but hasn't supported farmers, all this is hypocrisy," the Congress MP added further.
Elaborating on how the issue got reignited, Jairam Ramesh said, "When this government brought those three black laws for the farmers, questions arose as to what was needed. Those three laws would have privatised our agriculture sector. The Swaminathan Committee report said that the MSP should be 1.5 times the detailed cost of production."
Defending farmers over their MSP demand and said, "The farmers raised a demand that the government is opening doors for private companies to procure from them. In such a situation, MSP must be given a legal status."
Earlier in the day, amid the chaos around the National Capital due to farmers' protests, Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee General Secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher said that the meeting with the Centre will be held tomorrow at 5 pm and the farmers want to resolve all the issues peacefully.
Union Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda, who is also negotiating with farmer leaders, urged the protesters to cooperate and communicate so that common people should not have to suffer and said that in the formation of new laws, there are so many things to consider that the government wants to discuss with the farmer organisations.
Arjun Munda told ANI that the government has assured them (farmers) that all the works of administrative nature will be fast-tracked. (ANI)