TMC MPs support protesting farmers, pledge to raise MSP law in Parliament
West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee is believed to have assured protesting farmers on the Punjab-Haryana border that her party MPs will raise the demand for a law on legal guarantee of the minimum support price (MSP) in the ensuing Parliament session.
Banerjee interacted with farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal over the phone and told him that during the upcoming Parliament session, her party MPs will raise the issue of a law guaranteeing MSP for crops, according to a statement by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) issued Monday.
- Also read: Farmers’ protest: After Delhi Chalo paused, parleys on for a united front; SKM sets conditions
SKM (non-political) leader Abhimanyu Kohar said that a delegation of five MPs of TMC visited the Khanauri border (with Haryana) in Sangrur district of Punjab for an hour. Legal guarantee of MSP was a key promise by the Congress party in its manifesto. Banerjee told the protesting farmers that the TMC will always stand for justice for farmers, according to the statement.
The delegation comprised TMC Rajya Sabha MPs Derek O’Brien, Nadimul Haque, Dola Sen, Sagarika Ghose and Saket Gokhale.
“They went to the spot where tractors were damaged and Shubhkaran Singh had sustained bullet injury. They spoke with farmers,” Kohar said, referring to the clash with the police in February on the border point with Haryana. Farmers handed over a memorandum to the TMC delegation, seeking that their demands be raised in Parliament, he added.
The SKM (non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha are spearheading the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march since February 13 seeking several demands including legal guarantee of MSP and pension for farmers. Current protests are held at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points after Haryana prevented their march towards Delhi on the highway claiming it has right over its own territory.