New Delhi, June 13: The BJP today accused the Union finance minister of lying about NDA-ruled states’ stand on the minimum support price (MSP) for paddy.

P. Chidambaram, it alleged, was misleading the nation to cover his own failure to control inflation and improve the farmers’ condition.

Chidambaram had yesterday blamed NDA-ruled Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa for the decision to fix the MSP for paddy at Rs 850 instead of Rs 1,000. “Some wanted it even lower. Chhattisgarh wanted it at Rs 745,” the finance minister had said.

Senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu today produced letters written by the governments of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Orissa to corroborate the party’s claim that it has always favoured a Rs 1,000-a-quintal MSP for paddy.

The BJP has indeed been campaigning for an MSP of Rs 1,000 for paddy, and its spokespersons have raised the subject over a dozen times in the past.

In a letter dated October 16, 2007, Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh had told the Prime Minister: “I strongly recommend enhancement of MSP for paddy to Rs 1,000.”

On November 11, 2007, Orissa chief minister Naveen Patnaik wrote to the Prime Minister: “I request you to enhance the MSP of paddy to Rs 1,000 to bring parity among farmers of different regions.”

On April 16 this year, Madhya Pradesh principal secretary Pravesh Sharma wrote to S.M. Jharwal, principal adviser to the Union government’s department of agriculture and co-operation, referring to a Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices report.

The report mentions the MSP for paddy (common) as Rs 1,000. Sharma’s letter said: “We… express our concurrence with the recommendations of MSP for all crops except soyabean.”