Mangalagiri: Naidu refers to Modi's tweet, pleads for MSP as legal right

Mangalagiri: TDP national president and former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday termed it as a responsibility for both the Central and the State Government to protect the farmers' rights and interests with regard to the payment of minimum support price (MSP) for agricultural crops and the introduction of the market intervention scheme.

Referring to the three Farm Acts in Parliament, Naidu asserted that the TDP would strongly stand for ensuring MSP as a lawful right for the farmers. Also, the Government should bring in a mechanism to implement the MSP without fail and provide necessary safeguard to protect farmers if they were denied the MSP under any circumstances.

Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters here, the TDP chief said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised in a tweet on September 20 that the farmers' interests would be protected in respect of the price. That promise should be included in the laws being enacted now. The Governments should spare no efforts to protect the farmers.

The mechanism to ensure MSP should be initiated at the level of the market committees directly to ensure a better deal. The market intervention should also be encouraged at the national level to create more confidence among the farmer communities.

Naidu pointed out that in its previous regime in Andhra Pradesh, the TDP introduced the market intervention in order to rescue farmers from unforeseen crisis situations on account of damages or pests. With this scheme, a helping hand was given to farmers who cultivated palm oil, onions, tomato, tobacco, cotton and so on.

Naidu said that their party leaders would wage a struggle for the protection of the MSP in the new bills. Memoranda would be given to the district collectors all over the State on Tuesday. It would be the bounden duty of both the State and the Central Governments to ensure a fair deal to the farmers and encourage agriculture.