The Madhya Pradesh Congress demonstrated unusual unity on Thursday by organizing a massive blockade of the Mumbai-Agra National Highway 3, stretching over 747 kilometers across 25 districts. The protest, involving senior leaders, functionaries, Rajya Sabha MPs, and MLAs, targeted the Mohan Yadav government over unfulfilled farm promises. The blockade extended from Gwalior and Bhind in the north to Dhar and Khalghat in the south.
Congress Leaders Address Farmers
State Congress President Jitu Patwari addressed farmers via video message early Thursday, stating, 'This is not a matter of Congress or BJP. I am not speaking as state PCC chief. I am the son of a farmer, and Congress is a well-wisher of the agrarian community, so we must fight for you. Under great compulsion, the Congress party has taken the decision to block the Mumbai-Agra Highway. Before elections, the BJP had made promises to farmers which have not been implemented.'
During the protest, Patwari recalled BJP's pre-election promises: Rs 2,700 per quintal for wheat, Rs 3,100 for paddy, and Rs 6,000 for soybeans. He questioned the government and accused it of failing farmers. 'When we question the government on this, they ask about former Congress governments. The Mohan Yadav government announced 2026 as the Year of Agriculture, and Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan claims farmers' incomes have increased eight times, while the state's farmers are distraught. More than 97% of farmers are burdened with debt,' Patwari claimed.
Allegations of Traumatization and Land Acquisition Issues
Patwari further alleged that farmers face trauma every year over fertilizers and seeds. 'For 15 years, they acquired land from farmers for projects but did not implement the Land Acquisition Act to pay four times the rate. Now, the government says it will acquire only 30% to 35% of the total wheat production of Madhya Pradesh, which means farmers will have to sell 65% of wheat produced in the open market at unfair prices. In that case, the government must pay Bhavantar (difference in cost),' he said.
Bhavantar Scheme and MSP Demands
The Bhavantar Scheme, introduced by former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, pays the difference between the cost of production and the sale price when farmers incur losses. Congress demanded that Bhavantar be calculated as the difference between the Minimum Support Price (MSP) and the market price. Currently, the state is acquiring wheat at an MSP of Rs 2,625 (Rs 2,585 paid by the Centre and Rs 40 as state bonus). Minister for MSME Chaitanya Kashyap briefed reporters after a cabinet meeting, stating the government would acquire 100 lakh tons of wheat, an increase of 20 lakh tons from last year. 'Forty-one lakh tons of wheat has already been acquired at a cost of Rs 6,520 crore,' he said.
Political Implications
With approximately 30 months until the next assembly elections, the opposition party aims to impress the agrarian sector, which constitutes over 70% of the vote bank. The state Congress has repeatedly raised farm issues in the assembly and outside.
BJP's Response
State BJP President Hemant Khandelwal reacted strongly, calling the highway blockade an act for personal political gain. 'It is an act of holding the public hostage, impacting even emergency services like ambulances. Congress has no moral right to agitate on farmers' issues. The Mohan Yadav government is working with full commitment, purchasing every grain of wheat from farmers. The previous Congress government under Kamal Nath turned farmers into defaulters with false promises of loan waivers. Congress should clarify what the support price for wheat was in 2003-04 and whether farmers' grain was purchased at that support price by the Digvijaya Singh government,' Khandelwal said.
