Indore, April 7 The Congress in Madhya Pradesh announced a statewide protest on April 9 to address farmers' concerns, including the "delay" in wheat procurement by the BJP government.
Madhya Pradesh is one of the top wheat-producing states in the country.
Senior Congress leader Sajjan Singh Verma said that party activists will surround collector offices in all districts on April 9.
"The BJP has not fulfilled its promises to farmers, and they are being forced to protest. This is a betrayal of farmers," said Verma, a former minister.
The BJP had promised to procure wheat at Rs 2,700 per quintal, but this promise has not been fulfilled, and only a bonus of Rs 40 per quintal has been announced, he claimed.
Due to the delay in wheat procurement, farmers were unable to repay their loans to banks and cooperative societies by the March 31 deadline and were included in the list of defaulters, the Congress leader said.
According to officials, the state government has decided to provide farmers a bonus of Rs 40 per quintal in addition to the minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 2,585 per quintal, paying a total of Rs 2,685. Procurement will start from April 10, they said.