Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar announced in the Rajya Sabha  that the Union government is committed to forming a panel on Minimum Support Price (MSP) and the Election Commission has said it can be done after the polls are over.

Replying to a supplementary question during the Question Hour, Tomar said the government had written to the Election Commission in view of assembly elections in five states.

This statement from Tomar comes after Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) observed January 31 as a ‘Day of Betrayal’ across India with protest demonstrations at district and block levels over the Centre’s failure to fulfil any of the promises made in its letter dated December 9, 2021.

Announcing repeal of three farm laws in November last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised to set up a committee to discuss the farmers’ demand for a legal guarantee on MSP.

The matter of forming the Committee on MSP is under consideration of the ministry and will be formed after the elections are over, Tomar said.

“The entire country knows that the prime minister has announced the formation of a committee to make crop diversification, natural farming and MSP effective and transparent. The government is committed to the announcement made by the PM. The matter is under consideration of the ministry,” PTI quoted Tomar as saying.

He said since the elections are on, the government had written to the EC for guidance.

“The EC’s reply has come. It has said that the committee should be formed after the elections conclude,” the minister said.

Elections are scheduled to take place in five states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur, Goa and Punjab with results to be declared on March 10.