Nagpur, Nov 16 (PTI) The BJP had made Parliament "hostage" and was not allowing discussions on the floor of the House but it was Rahul Gandhi who compelled the Narendra Modi government to hear the voices of all parties, senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said on Saturday.
The Congress general secretary and the party's Karnataka in charge was answering a query on Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju's statement earlier in the day that "the standard of debates in the Lok Sabha has gone down since Rahul Gandhi's arrival".
"The BJP made Parliament hostage and there were no discussions. However, after Rahul Gandhi became leader of opposition (in the Lok Sabha), he compelled the government to have discussions and hear the voice of every party," Surjewala said.
This may be giving Rijiju a stomach ache, he added.
Addressing reporters in Nagpur, Surjewala claimed soybean farmers in Maharashtra are in distress and will suffer a loss of Rs 24000 crore this season.
"The MVA will procure soybean at Rs 7000 per quintal after coming to power. Maharashtra leads in soybean cultivation. The Modi government declared MSP of Rs 4892 for soybean, but farmers are getting just Rs 3000-3500 on average for their crop. It means farmers are facing loss of Rs 1892 per quintal," he said.
The Centre and the Mahayuti government under Eknath Shinde are responsible for this loss of farmers, who are running from pillar to post for the last two months to sell their soybean produce in vain.
The Maharashtra government had written to the Agriculture Cost Price Commission stating that the cost of production of soybean was Rs 6039, despite which the Modi government set the MSP at Rs 4892, he claimed.
"The DNA of the BJP, the Modi government and the Mahayuti is anti-farmer. Cultivators will not spare them for the crime of looting them, denigrating their lives and decimating their profession," Surjewala asserted.
The Mahayuti comprises the BJP, Shinde's Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP. The Maha Vikas Aghadi consists of Congress, Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP) and Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT).
Maharashtra polls will be held on November 20, while votes will be counted on November 23.