Accusing the BJP of only putting a brake on the pace of MSP increase and pushing the farmers into losses, former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Monday said that the BJP government is nowhere near Congress in terms of increasing MSP and giving MSP to farmers.    Government figures themselves are proof of the fact that MSP increased many times more during the Congress tenure than the BJP government. BJP only put a brake on the pace of MSP increase and pushed the farmers into losses. This is the reason why today farmers of the entire country including Haryana are agitating, he said. Listening to the demands and problems of the farmers at his residence, Hooda presented the MSP figures and said when Congress came to power in 2004-05, the rate of wheat was only Rs 640. Congress more than doubled it and brought it to Rs 1450 per quintal. Congress increased the rate by 126.5 per cent. But during the entire tenure of BJP, till date, the rate of wheat has increased by only 51.7 per cent. That is, less than half as compared to Congress, he stated. Similarly, if we talk about paddy, Congress increased the rate by two and a half times, from Rs 560 to Rs 1360. Congress increased the rate by 143%. But BJP increased the rate by 60%, which is less than half as compared to Congress, he stated. Talking about cotton, Congress increased the rate from Rs 1760 to Rs 4050, an increase of 130%. The BJP has increased it by only 53.7 per cent till date. Congress increased the rate of millet by 143 per cent while BJP increased it by only 100 per cent, Congress increased the MSP of sunflower by 180 per cent while BJP increased it by only 70.6 per cent, he pointed out. Talking about the rates decided by the state government, the price of sugarcane was only Rs 117 before the Congress government took over in 2005. By increasing the sugarcane price by more than two and a half times, by 165 per cent, Congress made the rate Rs 310. But till date, BJP has made the rate only Rs 386, and increased it only by 24.5 per cent, he said.

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