FM starts with agriculture but totally silent on farmers’ demands: Cong

The Congress on Saturday attacked the Union government over its announcements in the Union Budget 2025-26 pertaining to the agriculture sector, saying finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman was "completely silent" on the demands of farmers, including MSP (minimum support price) as a legal guarantee, and farm loan waivers.

Sitharaman on Saturday said the Union Budget will initiate reforms in six areas — taxation, urban development, mining, financial sector, power, and regulatory framework.

However, it’s clear that the agriculture sector remains a point of contention. These reforms could have indirect benefits for the farming community, but without direct measures for farmers, it might not feel like enough to those who are struggling on the ground.

The demand for MSP as a legal guarantee and farm loan waivers has been a longstanding issue, and many farmers' unions have been advocating for these measures to ensure fairer support for agriculture.

In her Budget speech, she announced the launch of a PM Dhan Dhyan Krishi Yojana, covering 100 districts with low yields, modern crop intensity and below average credit parameters.

Hitting out at the government, Congress Rajya Sabha MP and general-secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X, "The FM starts with agriculture but is completely silent on the demands of farmers and the recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture -- MSP as a legal guarantee, farm loan waiver, inflation indexation of PM Kisan payouts and reforms to PM Fasal Bima Yojana."

Ramesh's criticism highlights the disappointment many feel over the Budget’s perceived lack of focus on addressing the specific demands of farmers.

In another post, Ramesh said, "Make in India that had become Fake in India now has a new name: National Manufacturing Mission."

With PTI inputs