Digvijaya explains ‘retirement plan’ video:Senior Congress leader says ‘It was a joke’, demands GI tag for MP basmati

Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Sunday clarified remarks about his “retirement plan”, saying he had shared a video in a light-hearted manner of a retired couple travelling across India by car. Singh said the video featured a couple who had retired from bank jobs and set out on a nationwide road journey, turning their car into a mobile home. Raises GI tag issue for basmati The former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister also raised concerns over the state’s inability to secure a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for basmati rice from several districts. He said basmati commands nearly three times the price in the international market and questioned why the Madhya Pradesh government has not been able to obtain a GI tag for the crop despite years of effort. According to Singh, GI tags began to be granted during the tenure of the UPA government, but several tags issued during his government were cancelled after the BJP came to power. He said India faces competition from Pakistan in the international basmati market, yet Pakistan has managed to secure GI tags for several products in recent years. “Even today, we have not been able to get GI tags for 13 districts,” he said. Video of retired couple shared on Facebook Three days ago, Singh had posted a video on Facebook with the caption: “My retirement plan? Maybe, why not…” The video shows Sibanand Bhanja, 62, and his wife Basabi Bhanja, who decided to travel across India after retiring from their bank jobs. Instead of buying a house, the couple fulfilled Basabi’s wish to purchase a large vehicle and travel across the country. Sibanand bought a large car, equipped it with essential supplies, and the couple began their journey across India in 2024. They have so far travelled about 55,000 kilometres by road. During the trip, the couple mostly cook their own meals instead of eating at hotels. Letter written three months ago, says Digvijaya In his letter, Singh said it was “extremely surprising and unfortunate” that even after writing to the authorities three months earlier, no action had been taken by the central or state government. He added that he had also raised the issue during the Winter Session of Parliament, drawing the government’s attention to the economic losses and injustice faced by basmati growers in Madhya Pradesh due to the absence of a Geographical Indication (GI) tag. Singh said that thousands of farmers across nearly 14 districts—from the Gwalior-Chambal region to Malwa and Mahakaushal—have been cultivating high-quality aromatic basmati rice for years. These districts include Sheopur, Morena, Bhind, Gwalior, Shivpuri, Datia, Guna, Vidisha, Raisen, Sehore, Harda, Hoshangabad, Narsinghpur and Jabalpur. Despite this, farmers are unable to get a fair price for their produce because the crop does not have a GI tag, he said. Singh added that farmers in Madhya Pradesh have been demanding a GI tag for basmati rice grown in these districts for the past two decades. He recalled that in 2013, the government led by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had granted a GI tag to Madhya Pradesh’s basmati rice, but it was withdrawn in 2016 by the current central government. At present, basmati rice from Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi has GI tag status, while farmers in Madhya Pradesh continue to be deprived of the same recognition. Had declined to contest Rajya Sabha again Last month, Singh told Bhaskar that he would vacate his Rajya Sabha seat when his current term ends in June. He is currently serving his second term in the Upper House. His decision not to seek another term has intensified competition within the Congress for the Rajya Sabha seat from Madhya Pradesh. Had vowed not to contest elections for 10 years Singh served as Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh from 1993 to 2003. After the Congress suffered a heavy defeat in the 2003 Assembly elections, he announced that he would not contest any election for the next 10 years. He later entered Parliament in 2014 as a Rajya Sabha member and was re-elected for a second term in June 2020.