Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan today told the Rajya Sabha that the Narendra Modi government would purchase all farm produce at the minimum support price. The Union Minister gave the assurances during Question Hour while responding to supplementary questions on the issue.

His statement also came on a day when farmers started a foot march to Delhi with a charter of demands, including legal backing for MSP. Shivraj Singh Chouhan told in the Rajya Sabha that he wants to assure the House that all produce of farmers will be purchased at minimum support price. He added that this is a Modi government and the guarantee to fulfil Modi guarantee.

Criticizing the Opposition members, the Union Minister said that when the other side were in power, they had said on record that they cannot accept the MS Swaminathan Commission recommendations, especially on giving 50 percent more than the cost of produce. Mentioning that he has the record, he cited former minister of state for agriculture Kantilal Bhuria, ex-agriculture ministers Sharad Pawar and K V Thomas to back his claim.

Following his remarks, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar asked him to place on record the documents to substantiate his claim, which Shivraj Singh Chouhan agreed to.

The Union Minister claimed that the Opposition had never honoured the farmers and never gave a serious consideration to farmers’ demands for remunerative prices. He said that he wants to assure the house that since 2019 Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided to calculate the minimum support price by giving 50 per cent profit on cost of production to farmers.

He further mentioned that the Modi government has been providing remunerative prices to farmers, adding that paddy, wheat, jowar, and soyabean have been purchased at 50 percent above the cost of production for the past three years. He also referred to interventions such as adjustments in export duties and prices whenever commodity rates decline.

Rajya Sabha chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday said cash was recovered by Parliament security officials from the seat allotted to Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi. The claim by the Rajya Sabha chairperson on the floor of the House led to protests by Congress MPs, with Mallikarjun Kharge stressing that names should not be taken before an investigation.

However, the Congress MP denied the charges. He said that he just carries a Rs 500 note when he goes to the Rajya Sabha. He added that he reached the House at 12:57 pm and the House rose at 1 pm. He continued that later he sat in the canteen till 1:30 pm with Ayodhya MP Awadhesh Prasad and left Parliament.

Nonetheless, the Congress MP and the Senior Advocate welcomed the probe into the incident. He mentioned that each of them must have a seat where the seat itself can be locked, and the key can be carried home by the MP, as everybody can then do things on the seat and make such allegations.

Jagdeep Dhankhar while addressing the Rajya Sabha said that the wad of notes was recovered during routine checks by security officials. He asserted that during a routine check yesterday after adjournment of the House, a wad of currency notes was recovered by security officials from seat no 222 currently allotted to Abhishek Manu Singhvi. An investigation will also take place in accordance with law.

Reacting to the remarks, Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said that the Rajya Sabha chairperson said the matter is under investigation. Until it is authenticated, his name should not be mentioned, the Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha noted.

However, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, said there was nothing wrong in pointing out the seat number and the name of the MP, and demanded proper investigation. BJP chief and Union Health Minister JP Nadda also echoed the same demand, adding that this is an attack on the dignity of the House.

In a grand ceremony at Azad Maidan in Mumbai, Devendra Fadnavis took oath as the chief minister of Maharashtra on Thursday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the ceremony, which also saw Ajit Pawar from the NCP and former CM Eknath Shinde from Shiv Sena taking oath as deputy chief ministers.

Maharashtra governor C P Radhakrishnan administered the oath. This is Devendra Fadnavis’s third term. He represents Nagpur as an MLA, and has assumed the role of Maharashtra chief minister. The event takes place two weeks after the state assembly elections held on November 20, with results announced on November 23.

Beside PM Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah, defence minister Rajnath Singh, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, BJP president J P Nadda were among the political heavyweights present during the event.

Also, the oath-taking ceremony was attended by prominent industrialists, including Mukesh Ambani and Kumar Mangalam Birla. Former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and actors Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, and Ranveer Singh were also present at the event.

In the State Assembly Elections, the BJP emerged as the largest party with 132 seats in the 288-member House. Along with its allies, Shiv Sena and NCP, the BJP-led Mahayuti coalition has a majority of 230 seats.

On Wednesday, Devendra Fadnavis, Eknath Shinde, and Sharad Pawar met governor CP Radhakrishnan to formally stake their claim to form the government, submitting letters of support from the coalition. Subsequently, the governor invited Devendra Fadnavis to lead the new government.

Notably, the new government formation comes after two weeks of intense negotiations between parties within the Mahayuti alliance, which emphatically won the Maharashtra assembly elections.

Meanwhile, on being asked when other ministers would take oath, BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar said that it is most likely that the council of ministers will be sworn in before the winter session of the assembly starts, so as to avoid administrative disruption.