Congress to protest across MP on Sep 20 seeking hike in MSP: Patwari

The Congress will hold a protest on September 20 across Madhya Pradesh seeking hike in minimum support price (MSP) for agricultural produce, the party's state unit chief Jitu Patwari said on Friday.

Offices of collectors of the all the 55 districts in the state will be "gheraod" (encircled) at 12 noon that day under the Congress' 'Kisan Nyay Yatra'. Patwari told reporters. "The farmers across India are in distress. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union agricultural minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan speak about doubling farmers' income but the condition of cultivators is going from bad to worse. We want the state government to procure soybean from farmers at Rs 6,000 per quintal, wheat at Rs 2,700 per quintal and paddy at Rs 3,100," he said. The BJP, in its manifesto for the MP assembly polls last year, promised MSP of Rs 2700 for wheat and Rs 3100 for paddy but these have been forgotten by the party after it retained power, he said. "Our leader Rahul Gandhi wants legal guarantee for