Thread by @ramanmann1974

Thread

Why #farmers came on road today

This started with Modi Govt setting up Shanta Kumar Committee which gave its report in Jan 2015, recommending scrapping of Bonus given to farmers over MSP, & recommending "direct cash transfers" for PDS i.e. scrapping MSP procurement & FCI

Modi Govt accepted the recommendations, & curtailed states’ power to declare bonuses for wheat & paddy over & above the Min Support Prices fixed by the Centre. So, States could not give bonus to their farmers, Punjab, Haryana, M.P farmers & others used to get bonus, which stopped

Then from 2015 to 2019, Modi Govt's institutions like @NITIAayog kept on saying in public that Min Support Procurement is unviable Mechanism, then in 2019~20 reports Commission of Agriculture Costs & Pricing started recommending restricting MSP procurement from #Punjab & #Haryana

With Commission of Agriculture Costs and Prices recommending to restrict Min Support Procurement from Punjab & Haryana in the 2020 report, Center Govt also writes an official letter to @capt_amarinder, asking him to curtail MSP procurement, which Punjab Govt objects strongly to !

With these developments Punjab & Haryana farmers started rallying, in 2020 an all party meeting called by #farmers was attended by MLA's & MPs of #Congress, #AAP, & #SAD, where, farmers were assured by political parties, that Congress, AAP, & SAD will not allow MSP to be scrapped

After taking State political representation in confidence Punjab & Haryana farmers started to mobilize, with the goal of marching to #Delhi on 21 March, interactions with State farm groups started, & everybody was on board, but then #corona stuck, leaving no option, but to wait !

Then, on 5'th June Modi Govt bring the ordinances, which opens #agri trade outside APMC's(without any fee or tax), this means that trade in mandis will invite 6.5% tax in Haryana & 8.5% tax in Punjab i.e. slowly the APMC's will suffocate & wither away & Pvt players will take over

Simultaneously @nitin_gadkari flamboyantly states, "MSP can create a big economic crisis". With the fear of APMCs shutting down, no assurance of MSP procurement in writing, Govts institutions recommending restricting MSP, Center asking Punjab to curtail MSP, farmers lost patience

Now, the ball is in @PMOIndia's court, if he fails to understand the gravity of the situation with the smugness, he is credited with, then this "issue" can very well turn into his achilles heel, cause farmers will in no way compromise on MSP procurement, which is their bloodline.

Rather Modi Govt had passed the order to curtail the powers of the State Govts to give bonus to farmers well before the tabling of the Shanta Kumar Committee report in Jan 2015, & setting up of the Shanta Kumar Committee, but Shanta Kr Committee recommended the same in Jan 2015 !