Congress to strengthen agriculture sector: Sukhpal Singh
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, May 24 2025: Even though BJP neglected the agriculture sector for the past 10 years, Congress party will continue to work towards strengthening the sector and improving the conditions of farmers and people living in rural areas, stated All India Kisan Congress national chairman Sukhpal Singh.

Sukhpal Singh launched the Congress party's Kisan Nyay Yodha in respect of Manipur on Saturday.

The scheme, aimed at ensuring the legitimate rights of farmers and delivering justice to them, was launched during a press conference held at Congress Bhawan.

According to Sukhpal Singh, farmers of the country have suffered much under the BJP government over the past 10 years as the government continues to prioritise corporate houses.

Even though farmers' debt has crossed Rs 20 lakh crore and no loan waivers have been made for them till date, while the BJP government waived loans worth more than Rs 15 lakh crore for corporate houses.

When farmers suffered losses due to natural calamities, the BJP government never paid adequate compensation.

Despite the cost of farming increasing every year, banks continue to charge the same interest on loans provided to the agriculture sector as they do to the industrial sector.

As a result, farmers could not repay their loans in time, Sukhpal Singh said.

He also claimed that loans worth Rs 70 thousand crore were waived for farmers during the tenure of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and the Congress party will do the same for farmers relying on small loans if it returns to power.

While alleging that farmers' debt increased due to the BJP government's stand against them, Sukhpal Singh said this is the main reason for the rising number of farmer suicides in the country.

He added that many farmers lost their lives during the farmers' movement and the BJP government remained silent even after giving a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP).

According to Sukhpal Singh, paddy is the main crop for Manipur, but farmers in the state continue to cultivate it without availing the benefits of MSP and at a very high cost.

Apart from this, farmers in the state are yet to get proper irrigation facilities and are facing problems in getting water.

MPCC president Keisham Meghachandra, who also attended the press conference, told media persons that a state-level farmers' convention will be held at Awang Jiri under Konthoujam Assembly Constituency on Sunday, coinciding with the launch of Kisan Nyay Yodha in the state by Sukhpal Singh.

The convention will deliberate on problems faced by farmers and explore possible solutions.

According to K Meghachandra, the ongoing conflict since May 2023 has severely affected farmers and many are still unable to attend their paddy fields.

The government has launched many schemes for farmers but the majority do not get the benefits, resulting in the unfair utilisation of government funds, he said, adding that farmers in the state would never benefit from government schemes if the present system continues.

The press conference was also attended by All India Kisan Congress vice-chairman Akhilesh Shukla, national coordinator and Manipur in-charge Rizwan Raza, national joint coordinator Deepak Tripathy, and Kisan Congress volunteers and MPCC functionaries.

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