New Delhi, Oct 19 (IANS): The Congress on Thursday took a swipe at the BJP government at the Centre for raising the minimum support price for wheat, saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is taking credit for this "big" increase but the reality is that the government's wheat reserves being on the verge of being completely empty.

In a post on X, Congress General Secretary (communication) Jairam Ramesh said: "The MSP of wheat has been increased by Rs 150 per quintal. As usual, the Prime Minister is taking credit for this "big" increase. But the reality is something else. This has happened due to the government's wheat reserves being on the verge of being completely empty".

He also said that actually the truth is that this is not the first time that the MSP of wheat has increased by Rs 150 per quintal.

"MSP increases have happened before and are much higher than this. During the reign of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the MSP of wheat increased by 119 per cent whereas during the tenure of Narendra Modi it increased by only 57 per cent," he said.

“But right now the increase in MSP, which is a necessity, is also being presented as a favor by the Prime Minister. And what happened to the United Kisan Morcha's demand for legal guarantee for MSP? This is even more important at a time when personal purchases by the Prime Minister's friends are increasing."

"And why is soybean being sold below MSP in Madhya Pradesh and why is the government importing cheap edible oil, which is going to cross 17 million tonnes this year – the highest ever? When will the Prime Minister break his silence on these questions?" Ramesh asked.

His remarks came a day after the government ahead of the assembly polls in key wheat growing states, announced an increase in the minimum support price of wheat by Rs 150 to Rs 2,275 per quintal for the 2024-25 marketing season. This is the highest quantum of increase in MSP for any marketing season since the Modi government came to power in 2014.