Continuing the war of words with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman over the controversy surrounding incentives for paddy procurement above the Minimum Support Price (MSP), Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president M. K. Stalin on Monday criticised her explanation, saying it exposed “her own falsehood.”
Responding to the Finance Minister’s clarification posted on the social media platform ‘X’, Stalin termed as a “blatant lie” her claim that all state governments, except Tamil Nadu, had agreed to discontinue the additional bonus for paddy.
“If what you claimed is true, you could have simply released the letter without any explanation. That alone would have been enough for people to read it and understand the truth for themselves. Instead, by writing such a long explanation and then releasing the letter, you have only exposed your own falsehood,” Stalin said in his post.
Drawing attention to the stand taken by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Stalin said: “You have claimed that most state governments across India have agreed to your demand that no additional bonus should be given for paddy. This is a blatant lie. As recently as February, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan publicly stated his position on this issue, and his statement stands as clear proof.”
In Tamil Nadu, the incentive above MSP stands at ₹130 per quintal for fine paddy and ₹105 for the common variety, while in Kerala it is ₹6.31 per kg.
Criticising the proposal to scrap the bonus, Vijayan said that “labelling food production as a ‘liability’ is an affront to our farmers. While corporate debts are waived, viewing a small incentive for those who feed us as a burden is unacceptable.” He also questioned whether this was “the first step toward opening up markets for US agricultural products under a new trade deal.”
Vijayan further urged the Centre to stop penalising farmers in Kerala and to release pending procurement funds without delay.