Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s promise to implement a law guaranteeing Minimum Support Price for crops as per the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission on agricultural reforms has pitted the Congress against the Bharatiya Janata Party. Addressing a rally in Chhattisgarh’s Ambikapur on the sidelines of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra on Tuesday, Rahul said that the Congress would provide farmers with a legal guarantee for MSP if elected to power.

“This is the first guarantee of Congress on the path of justice,” Rahul said, adding that the “historic” announcement will change the lives of 15 crore farmer families and ensure their prosperity.

However, in a reply to a Parliament question in 2010, the then Congress-led UPA government had stated that the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendation that MSP should be at least 50% more than the weighted average cost of production “has not been accepted”. The KV Thomas, the then Minister of State for Agriculture said in his reply that MSP is recommended by the Commission of Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) based on objective criteria and considering variety of relevant factors.

“Hence, prescribing an increase of at least 50% on cost may distort the market. A mechanical linkage between MSP and cost of production may be counter-productive in certain case,” the minister’s reply in Parliament dated April 16, 2010, read.

DIsmissing the criticism around it, Congress leader Pawan Khera on Tuesday defended the then government and claimed that the response was part of a continuing dialogue process and that it was the UPA government led by the Congress that implemented a majority of the recommendations made by the Commission.

“It shows that the consultation process did not stop. Any big decision requires consultation. It was the UPA government that implemented 175 out of 201 reccomendations. Now, after studying the issue in detail and consulting experts, we can say with full conviction that we will implment the recommendations made in the Swaminathan Commission report in full,” Khera said.

The Congress spokesperson also played a video showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speeches in the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections where he had promised to provide farmers with adequate prices for their produce, in line with the Swaminathan Commission reccommendations.

What was the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendation on MSP?

The National Commission for Farmers, formed under the aegis of the Swaminathan Commission, had recommended that the MSP should be at least 50 per cent more than the weighted average cost of production. Also known as the ‘C2+50 per cent’ formula, it includes the input cost of capital and the rent on the land, to give the farmers 50 per cent of the returns.

Why the controversy?

Rahul’s promise of a legal guarantee on MSP came in the midst of a raging protest by thousands of farmers demanding a law on MSP as per the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission. The protest comes as part of the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march organised by as many as 200 farmer unions from across the country.

With farmers set to enter Delhi, authorities turned the national capital iinto a virtual fortress, blocking all borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. The Haryana government has also put up barricades to prevent the entry of farmers from Punjab into the state enroute Delhi.

Police resorted to firing tear gas shells and used water cannons to stop large groups of farmers from entering Haryana through the Khanauri border in Jind district. Similar action was seen at the Shambhu border in Haryana’s Ambala earlier in the day.

Hearing a petition against state governments preventing the entry of farmers, the Punjab and Haryana High Court said the issue should be resolved amicably and use of force should be the last resort. The court observed that while the farmers have the right to expression, the state government is also duty-bound to protect its citizens and ensure no inconvenience is caused to them.