Rahul forced Centre to hear Opposition in Parliament, says Surjewala; bats for soybean farmers in Maharashtra

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Senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala on Saturday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of making Parliament a "hostage" by blocking discussions, and claimed that it was Rahul Gandhi who forced the Narendra Modi government to engage with the opposition and hear the voices of all parties.

According to news agency PTI, Surjewala was responding to comments made earlier in the day by Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, who had said, "The standard of debates in the Lok Sabha has gone down since Rahul Gandhi's arrival."

In his response, Surjewala stated, "The BJP made Parliament hostage, and there were no discussions. However, after Rahul Gandhi became the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, he compelled the government to allow debates and hear the voice of every party. This may be giving Rijiju a stomach ache."

Surjewala was addressing a press conference in Nagpur ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024, reported PTI. While addressing the media, the Congress leader also took potshots at the state and central governments over the plight of soybean farmers in Maharashtra. He claimed that soybean farmers were facing a loss of Rs 24,000 crore this season, accusing both the Narendra Modi government and the Mahayuti alliance - led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde - of causing this crisis.

"Maharashtra is the leading producer of soybean, but the Modi government declared a Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs 4,892 per quintal, while farmers are only receiving Rs 3,000-3,500 on average," he said, adding that this meant farmers were losing Rs 1,892 per quintal.

According to PTI, Surjewala also criticised the Mahayuti government for its handling of the soybean crisis. "The Maharashtra government had written to the Agriculture Cost Price Commission, stating that the cost of production for soybean was Rs 6,039, yet the Modi government set the MSP at Rs 4,892. This shows the government's failure to protect farmers," he said.

"The DNA of the BJP, the Modi government, and the Mahayuti is anti-farmer," Surjewala declared. "Farmers will not forgive them for looting them, destroying their livelihoods, and decimating their profession."

The Mahayuti coalition consists of the BJP, Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena, and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, while the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) includes Congress, Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP), and Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT).

The Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 are scheduled for November 20, with the results to be announced three days later.

(With PTI inputs)