Political Tensions Rise Over Wheat MSP Purchase Dates in Madhya Pradesh

Bhopal, April 1: A verbal clash has erupted between the opposition Congress party and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Madhya Pradesh over the state government’s decision to change the dates for wheat purchases at Minimum Support Price (MSP).

On Monday, the state government issued a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), stating that purchases in the Bhopal, Indore, Ujjain, and Narmadapuram divisions will now commence on April 10 instead of April 7.

Similarly, purchases in the Jabalpur, Gwalior, Rewa, Shahdol, Chambal, and Sagar divisions, initially set to begin on April 7, have been postponed to April 15.

This marks the second time the government has rescheduled the purchase process. Originally, purchases were slated to start on March 16 but were postponed to April 1.

State Congress leaders criticized the BJP government’s decision, alleging that the delays are causing hardships for farmers, forcing them to sell their crops at lower market prices.

On Tuesday, state Congress president Jitu Patwari reiterated the party’s stance, stating that many farmers are struggling to repay bank loans taken for agricultural activities. He claimed that further delays have compelled them to sell their crops at reduced prices before the March 31 deadline for loan repayments.

Patwari warned that after March 31, nearly 40 percent of farmers may face the risk of defaulting on their payments due to the government’s repeated changes in purchase dates. As a result, farmers are being forced to sell their produce below the MSP.

In response to these allegations, Jaypal Singh Chawda, head of the BJP’s Kisan Morcha in Madhya Pradesh, asserted that the Congress has never been a true ally of farmers.

Speaking to reporters in Bhopal, he explained that ongoing conflicts in West Asia have led to a shortage of polymers used in packaging grains, specifically polypropylene (PP) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) bags.

He also mentioned that the central government has allocated an additional 50,000 jute bags to Madhya Pradesh. Furthermore, he emphasized that the BJP government is committed to purchasing every grain of wheat from farmers at the rate of ₹2,625 per quintal.