Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) chairman Meechai Ruchupan has insisted the new charter will not prevent the next government from providing assistance to rice farmers as claimed by former Pheu Thai Party MP Chinnawat Haboonpat.
Mr Meechai yesterday warned Mr Chinnawat to stop disseminating false information about the draft charter as it could confuse the public.
He also flatly denied the new charter will prevent the next government from helping rice farmers through price intervention schemes or a price support policy.
Mr Meechai insisted there was nothing written in the draft charter specifying the government cannot carry out price intervention schemes and that crop prices must be allowed to be dictated by market forces.
Mr Chinnawat wrote a post on his Facebook page on Saturday claiming the new draft stipulates agriculture prices must be based on the market mechanism only during the next government.
Mr Meechai said the new constitution in fact stipulates it is the responsibility of the government to provide assistance to rice farmers, ranging from investment costs, product yields to market competition without relying only on the market mechanism.
"As a man who used to serve as an MP, it's not right to be spreading false information," Mr Meechai said.
The CDC chairman said he would also review the organic law relevant to the issue to prevent the new charter from being exploited by politicians with ill intentions.
Meanwhile, former Democrat MP for Phitsanulok Warong Dejkitwikrom said rice farmers would not have to shoulder the cost of rice sacks and maintenance of rice barns as alleged by a former Pheu Thai MP for Phitsanulok Niyom Changpinit.
Mr Niyom had alleged the regime's new rice subsidy scheme would force farmers to shoulder the cost of rice sacks and rice barn maintenance.
In a Facebook post, Dr Warong said the government's rice scheme is better than Yingluck Shinawatra's government's one as it would help to shore up rice prices.
Dr Warong said barns have always been used to store Hom Mali and glutinous rice in the Northeast and the upper part of the North, so it would not be necessary for farmers to shoulder any extra investment cost.
The former Democrat MP cautioned the government must be careful in ensuring the subsidy scheme is corruption-free. Although graft is less likely in this programme compared to the rice-pledging policy, the government should set up an inspection team to look out for any irregularities.