MSP for dry coconuts is Cong’s 6th guarantee, claims Revanna

Maqsood Maniyar | NT

Bengaluru: JD(S) MLA from Holenarasipura and former minister HD Revanna termed Minimum Support Price (MSP) for dry coconuts the sixth guarantee of the Congress, demanding they stay true to their word.

The declaration comes in the backdrop of Revanna making an unusual display of dry coconuts in the Assembly on Thursday, pressing the Speaker UT Khader for a discussion on the plight of coconut growers.

The JD(S) leader told News Trail that a single dry coconut would sell for Rs20 in the past but the price had plummeted to as low as Rs8, plunging growers into a crisis. This translates to dry coconuts costing Rs8,000 per quintal, which he regarded as insufficient.

He also pointed out that Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar in the lead up to the Assembly elections had promised Rs15,000 per quintal for dry coconuts.

 “One single coconut would cost Rs20 or so. Now it sells at Rs8 or even less in the market. Dry coconut would cost anywhere between Rs 7,500 to Rs 8,000 (per quintal). It had been as high as Rs18,000. Take a single tender coconut, which costs around Rs 18. In Bengaluru, it costs Rs 45. In Mumbai, it may cost Rs 80 or Rs 90,” Revanna said.

“It’s not me but the Congress. It is their sixth guarantee. DK Shivakumar as the (state) Congress chief said that they would give Rs15,000 per quintal (for dry coconuts). We are only saying follow through on that promise,” he added.

The for mer minister claimed that “more than 60 per cent” of the posts in the departments such as Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Sericulture are vacant and called on the State government to fill them.

He also wanted the government to regulate the rates of agricultural produce, referring to tomato prices. ‘JD(S) has bounced back in past’ Revanna tried to downplay the JD(S)’ poor performance in the May 10 Assembly polls wherein they managed only 19 seats, stating that the regional outfit would bounce back.

“In 1989, we (erstwhile Janata Dal) had only two seats in Karnataka. Then we bounced back with Devegowda as CM in 1994 and even won 17 seats in the parliamentary elections (1996),” he said.

However, he was tight-lipped on a supposed alliance between the JD(S) and BJP in the Lok Sabha polls of 2024, calling it the decision of party patriarch and father HD Devegowda and brother HD Kumaraswamy.

Unlike his brother, Revanna chose to not direct strongly worded criticism at Congress over implementation of their five guarantees, saying it had only been 60 days since the party came to power.

However, he said that he wasn disappointed with the Congress promising 200 units of free power and offering the consumers usual usage plus 10 per cent for free instead.

“They said they’d give 200 units and then said they’d give your usual usage for free. Some poor persons then decided to buy a fridge, fan, electric stove etc since the gas prices are high. Now they are left high and dry. This has appeared in the news as well,” Revanna said.