Outrightly rejecting the meagre increase of Rs 110 per quintal minimum support price (MSP) of wheat, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) condemned the high GST rates on farm machinery. Severely reprimanding the Modi Government for the inadequate MSP hike, the Leader of Opposition in Punjab Vidhan Sabha Sukhpal Khaira said that it is a cruel joke with the farmers of Punjab who are struggling to make two ends meet. The Centre has completely failed to keep the rising inflation in minding before making such a meagre increase in the MSP. He demanded that MSP of wheat, paddy and other crops should be fixed as per the Swaminathan committee, that is 50 percent profit over and above after calculating the cost of input per acre. Khaira said that it was a matter of record that the farmers of Punjab alone are under a colossal debt of Rs one lakh crore, due to which they are committing suicides in large numbers each day. The situation of farmers across India is no better than that of Punjab. Thus, this meagre increase of Rs 110 per quintal will not help improve their plight. On one hand, the Government is forcing farmers not to burn paddy stubble as per NGT directions which require approximately Rs 4,000-5,000 per acre, while on the other hand, the Centre is increasing MSP by only Rs 110 per quintal, which is half the cost of NGT directions.