Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Digvijaya Singh on Tuesday alleged corruption in the procurement of paddy at the minimum support price (MSP) at government mandis because of arbitrary rejection of grains under the pretext of poor quality.

During Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha, Singh said the surveyors checking the fair average quality (FAQ) of paddy at the mandis in Madhya Pradesh were deliberately rejecting the food grains saying they did not meet FAQ standards. He alleged that the farmers were forced to sell their crops at low prices to private businessmen who eventually sold the same crops in mandis at the MSP and earned profits.

“There is huge corruption in the procurement of crops at mandis. What is the government doing about it?” Singh asked.

Minister of consumer affairs, food and public distribution Pralhad Joshi ruled out any corruption. “What Digvijaya Singhji is saying is about their tenure when they were in power. After we came to power, procurement has increased. The farmers are paid through direct benefit transfer. There was a time when the government was spending ₹1 and only 15 paise was reaching people.”

Kharge said the minister was evading the question. “Instead of answering the question, the minister is talking about the previous government. The people engaged in checking the quality of the crops at the mandis are not well-qualified. When the farmers take the paddy to the mandis, they are told that it is a second-grade paddy.”