The Naveen Patnaik government in Orissa has found itself in an unenviable situation with the finance minister P Chidambaram disclosing that the state had proposed for a lower minimum support price for paddy.
While announcing that the Centre has raised the minimum support price for paddy to Rs 850 per quintal on an ad hoc basis, Chidambaram last week said that government could finalise the MSP as states like Orissa, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh have proposed that the prices be fixed at a lower level even though the Commissioner for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) recommended for Rs 1,000 per quintal.
The finance minister?s embarrassing revelation came at a time when the state government was trying hard to explain that it had agreed to the price recommended by the CPCP. In fact, the state NCP president, Bijaya Mohapatra, kicked off the controversy by stating that the state government has taken an anti-farmer stand by proposing to fix the MSP at Rs 850 as against the CACP recommended price of Rs 1,000. Mohapatra also said he had seen the Orissa government?s letter in the union agriculture ministry which is being headed by his party supreme Sarad Pawar.
The state government through an unsigned note issued from the chief minister?s office denied that it had proposed for a MSP of Rs 850 for paddy. The state agriculture secretary, UP Singh, and the agriculture director, Arabinda Padhi, have informally said that the state government had proposed for a MSP of Rs 1000 endorsing the recommendation of the CACP.
The Orissa government is, however, wondering that how come the union finance minister discussed in the public about the process of the fixation of MSP, which is considered to be an official secret. The Centre has advised the state to keep the all the correspondence regarding the MSP price fixation as top secret.
?By discussing about the process of MSP fixation, the union minister has violated the office of oath he has taken at the time of swearing in to the office?, pointed out the ruling Biju Janata Dal spokesperson, Damodar Rout. He said the union minister has apparently playing political card by stating that states like Orissa, Gujarat and Mahdya Pradesh have proposed for lower prices. ?The three states he has named are ruled by opposition BJP and its allied parties?, he pointed out.
As the general elections is only 12 months away, no government will afford to be tainted as anti-farmer. The controversy is likely to be thicken with both the UPA government and the BJD-BJP government in Orissa fighting on the street. Obviously, the casualty would be the official secrets.