Spokesperson: Shri Randeep Singh Surjewala: He said that today is a black day for farmers’ welfare in India. Today, the sinister conspiratorial face of Modi government got exposed as the Agriculture Minister of India refused to frame a law, guaranteeing minimum support price to 72 crore farmers and farm labourers of India. Today, the conspiracy and design of Modi government got exposed as the Agriculture Minister refused C2 + 50% profit as MSP for the farmers of India. C2 is input cost, family labour and rent of the land of the farmer.

Modi ji had promised 50% profit, but the government refused. The Agriculture Minister admitted that all that they are doing, that they are only doing politics by holding 35, 40, 42 meetings of the committee Constituted at the instance of the agitating farmers in July, 2022. The Agriculture Minister admitted that in two years the committee has done zilch, it has done zero. It is very clear Modi government has today back stabbed the farmers of India, back stabbed72 crore Annadatas by saying that:

a. They will not frame a law of guaranteeing Minimum Support Price. b. They will never give C2 + 50% as MSP in accordance with the report of the Swaminathan Commission.

I want to say that any ruling party and ruling autocrat, whoever has taken on the farmers harmed their interests, taken away their livelihood has never been able to sustain. Today, the government has gone into reverse gear, this government will not last for the farmers ire, for the agony of India’s farmers and farm labourers, they will never pardon Modi government. On another question, Shri Randeep Singh Surjewala said- Modi government is undermining the territorial integrity and security of India, if you look at the Defence Budget carefully. Over the last five years, Defence Budget expenditure has gone down from 17% to 13%, as a percentage of GDP. The Defence Budget is now down to two and half percent or three percent that shows the tragedy and the tragic nature of providing necessary funds for defence preparedness to our armed forces.

I ask three questions, to the defence minister:

1. When will you restore the status quo-ante with China in the entire region, where 1,000 square kilometre territory has been occupied, whether it is Gogra, whether it is the other remaining areas, where the patrolling points now can no longer be patrolled by the Indian armed forces?
2. Mr. Defence Minister and Mr. Prime Minister, when will you permit and why did you withdraw our armed forces beyond Gogra and hot springs and particularly Pangong Tso lake, where you have created a buffer zone in Indian territory and now, over the lake China has now built pucca bridges, where now armed vehicles and tanks can come?
3. Mr. Prime Minister and Mr. Defence Minister India wants to know, why is it that right from Arunachal Pradesh upto Ladakh, China has fortified its territory as occupied Bhutanese territory and created pucca pass upto the tri-junction, which is also called the Chicken’s neck and is it not threatening India’s territorial integrity and what steps have you taken against China?
4. Why are you reducing the budget of India’s defence forces? It has come down from 17% to 13%.
5. Why is it that you have not been able to decide on an advance fighter plane for our Indian Air Force till today, you bought some rafales and then you shelved it. Congress Party wanted to buy 123 rafales for which transfer of technology was coming, you bought only a number of rafales then dumped that. How many types of aircrafts can we service and keep our pilots fly? You have Mirages, you have MiG-21s, now you have rafales, now you are trying to buy one more type of aircraft, how will my pilot fly all these types of aircrafts?

And would it cost maintenance, service, training, expertise same way, why have you not bought the best equipment as also fortified areas built for our armed forces which are facing China? We face dearth of shoes; we face dearth of appropriate dresses in Siachen. Our soldiers don’t have appropriate food and other lodging arrangements. China makes pucca structures, we are putting our soldiers in tents, how will they fight and how will they fight adequately?

You are not answering any of these questions and what happened in Galwan? Why have you not come forward? Instead, on one side, we were in a fight with China, 20 of our soldiers were martyred, on the other side your Economic Survey says- let’s co-operate with China. People who are attacking our territory, occupying our territory, you want to cooperate with them, is that the kind of lies, you are meeting out to India, is my simple question. Friday, July 26, 2024.