Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Deepender Hooda accused the BJP government of creating a “food crisis” in the country with its wrong policies.

Deependra said the BJP government is following the maxim “Nurturing a few industrial houses and exploitation of the peasant labour”. He accused the government of cheating the farmers.

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Recalling Prime Minister Modi’s promises to double the income of the farmers, form a committee on MSP by entering into an agreement with the Kisan Morcha, he said nothing came of these.

Deependra accused the government of reducing the allocation of wheat in many states. Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states have written to the Central government demanding adequate stock of wheat.

This year, 56 percent of the procurement has come from farmers. Wheat stocks in the central pool also fell below 2008 levels, the lowest in 15 years. Looking at the proportion of the population, it has reached the lowest level of stock in the last 50 years. The reason being cited for this is that the purchases are yet to be made.

The Rajya Sabha MP said more than 10 million tonne of wheat was exported from the country as the price reached Rs 3,500 per quintal in the international market due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Traders took advantage of this situation while the government stopped the exports hastily. Three private companies made huge profits in this, he accused.

Dipendra said the Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states of UP, Gujarat and MP have demanded full quota of wheat. UP CM Yogi Adinyanath and MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan are asking for allocation of wheat.

Commenting on Cabinet Minister Piyush Goyal’s latest statement asking states to sow more paddy, Hooda said, “I want to ask the government that in the last 20 years the groundwater has been going down due to the paddy crop. Now what new water source has come in the country, due to which paddy crop is being sown. This is the failure of the government. Today there is a food crisis in front of the country. It has come after 50 years. The government is responsible for this.”

Deependra said in 2014, sugarcane was being sold in Haryana at Rs 311 per quintal, paddy was selling 5 thousand quintals. The rate of wheat should have been Rs 1,600 to Rs 3,200 per quintal. He further said that the promise of doubling the income has also proved to be a jumla.