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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Suicide jolt to Modi-Basant Rawat

Suicide jolt to Modi-Basant Rawat

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published Published on Aug 26, 2012   modified Modified on Aug 26, 2012
-The Telegraph

Ahmedabad, Aug. 25: A chain of farmer suicides in Saurashtra and the Congress’s initiatives to reach out to affected families appear to have put the Narendra Modi regime on the backfoot ahead of the Gujarat elections.

Twelve farmers have died in the drought-hit region in the past month. But the government is still in denial mode, claiming the “deaths are not related to crop failure” and that more farmers commit suicide in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.

It has, however, also been saying that it is “extending help to farmers in the region”.

The suicides are a jolt to the Modi regime in that they punch holes in Gujarat’s much-hyped agriculture growth story that the chief minister does not tire of boasting about. At various fora, he has been on record that farmers in Maharashtra commit suicide but those in Gujarat drive Maruti cars.

State agriculture minister Dilip Sanghani has dismissed reports that farmers are being driven to suicide by crop failure despite four deaths being reported from his home district, Amreli, prompting rival parties to gun for the government.

Gujarat Parivartan Party leader Gordhan Zadaphia has accused the government of “insensitivity”. He said: “This government is so obsessed with festivity and pampering big industrialists that it completely ignored the plight of the farmers.”

On Wednesday, as state Congress leaders handed over cheques of Rs 1 lakh each to the families of three dead farmers in Rajkot district, one more death was reported from Junagadh district. Purshottam Chavda, 65, drank poison and died at Rajkot civil hospital.

Based on a statement from Chavda’s son Bharat, Rajkot police have registered a case of suicide because of crop failure.

“He took a loan of Rs 30,000 and sowed groundnut and other oilseeds on 18 bighas of land. But there was no rain, so the crop failed. He could not bear it, so he drank poison,” said Sheetal, Chavda’s daughter-in-law.

The Congress leadership has demanded that Gujarat give Rs 10 lakh in compensation to each of the affected families and ensure a government job for at least one member of each family.

The Congress-controlled Rajkot District Co-operative Bank (RDCB) decided to waive interest on loans of Rs 1,225 crore given to nearly two lakh farmers for agriculture purposes.

The bank also announced two new schemes: loan of Rs 20,000 per acre for personal expenses at the rate of 7.5 per cent; loan of Rs 10,000 for cattle, which can be repaid after 2013 in 24 instalments.

Congress MP Vitthal Radadiya, the bank chairperson, said the incentives were being given to ease the problems of the drought-hit farmers. The interest waiver and the fresh loan offers are being seen as huge initiatives to woo the farmers.

Targeting the Modi regime, Gujarat Parivartan Party chief Keshubhai Patel wrote in his blog: “The present government is insensitive towards farmers and it lacks determination and will power to tackle drought. Instead of showing compassion, the Modi government was insulting the farmers by making baseless statements.”

Zadaphia said the delay in completing the Narmada canal network was telling on farmers. “If farmers are committing suicide in August, what will the situation be in peak summer?” he asked.


The Telegraph, 26 August, 2012, http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120826/jsp/nation/story_15899515.jsp#.UDml1qAXVwc


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