AIKS Slams BJP Government Over Meagre MSP Hike, Calls for Nationwide Protest on July 9

New Delhi: The All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) has come down heavily on the Centre for what it terms a “cruel joke” on farmers following the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs’ announcement of a marginal 6-7% hike in Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for 14 Kharif crops.

In a strongly worded statement, AIKS accused the BJP-led government of continuing its “negligence and denial” of a legal guarantee for MSP at the rate of C2+50%, as recommended by the Swaminathan Commission. “This meagre hike is a mockery, not relief. The government has betrayed its promise of doubling farmer incomes and is now focused on doubling corporate profits,” the statement read, citing that over 1.2 lakh farmer suicides have occurred under the current regime.

AIKS challenged the government’s claim that the new MSPs ensure a 50% margin over production costs. The farmers’ body alleged that the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) has been misused to recommend unscientific and misleading support prices by ignoring the C2 cost—a comprehensive measure of actual expenses incurred by farmers.

“Despite steep increases in input costs like fertilisers, electricity, and the imposition of GST on farm equipment, MSP hikes remain below inflation-adjusted levels,” the AIKS said. It also highlighted a ₹25,000 crore reduction in agriculture budget allocations and withdrawal of fertiliser subsidies, which further deepened farmer debt.

According to AIKS, the CACP has ignored state-specific cost data, particularly for key producers of paddy and cotton in states like Maharashtra, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. These omissions, it alleged, violate the federal spirit of the Constitution and marginalise the voices of state governments.

“The government criticised states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, and West Bengal for offering procurement bonuses, accusing them of distorting the market. This is not just anti-farmer—it’s politically vindictive,” the press release added.

While the government has raised the Kisan Credit Card loan limit from ₹3 lakh to ₹5 lakh, AIKS claimed the move is hollow, with district-level plans unimplemented and about 40% of farmers still excluded from institutional finance. “The reorganisation of rural banks will only shrink access further,” it warned.

AIKS has reiterated the following key demands:
1. Immediate revision of MSP to C2+50% levels as per the Swaminathan formula.
2. Enactment of a legal MSP guarantee in the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament.
3. Comprehensive restructuring of the CACP with meaningful participation of states and farmer representatives.

Citing increasing financial distress and landlessness among farmers—over 2 crore farmers have reportedly lost their land under the BJP rule—AIKS declared that farming is now an economically nonviable profession for millions.

As a mark of protest, AIKS has directed its cadres to burn government MSP orders in every village and has called upon the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) and allied organisations to mobilize support for a nationwide farmers’ and workers’ strike and satyagraha on July 9, in coordination with Central Trade Unions.