Farmers faced 10 years of 'anyay-kaal', Congress' 'Kisaan Nyay Guarantees' are answer: Party
Congress on Tuesday alleged that India's farmers have faced 10 years of «anyay-kaal» with the agriculture ministry being a «complete failure» in every basic responsibility, and asserted that farmers now need the party's «Kisaan Nyay» guarantees. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh claimed that of all the various «failures» of the Narendra Modi government, the «sheer incompetence and maliciousness» of the agriculture and farmers welfare ministry is among the most harmful and self-evident.
In a detailed post on X, Ramesh listed the various «failures» of the government in ensuring development of farmers.
He claimed that the «eight major failures» of the Modi government's agriculture ministry are — «extortionate GST on agricultural inputs, non-utilisation of ministry funds, failure to double farmers' income; inadequate MSP increases and non-implementation of the Swaminathan Commission Report, failure to diversify crops, dependence on imports for edible oils, failures on trade policy, and rising indebtedness and farmer suicides».
Elaborating on the issue of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on agricultural inputs, Ramesh alleged that the design of the GST has been completely anti-farmer.
«Due to GST, nearly every input a farmer requires has gone up in price. In 2004-05, in the UPA's (Congress-led United Progressive Alliance) first budget, excise duties on tractors were abolished. However, under the GST, the tax rate on tractors has been increased to 12 per cent, while the GST on tractor
