New Delhi: Criticising the ruling BJP government, the Congress on Tuesday said that the policies of the Centre are causing one farmer's death every hour.
Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate noted that as many as 10,881 farmers died by suicide in 2021. This means that every day, 30 farmers are dying by suicide. According to the National Crimes Record Bureau data, over 53,881 farmers killed themselves between 2014 and 2021. This is 21 deaths every single day.
She added that a Pune-based farmer Dashrath Lakshman Kedari in his suicide note blamed the BJP government's policies responsible for his death. He also wrote that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was only concerned with himself.
Who is responsible for the dire straits of Indian farmers? The policies of this government. It is ironic that in 2022, the Centre promised to double the income of farmers. The year witnessed Rs 27 average income for them, said the Congress leader.
She added that the Centre has looted the farmers by imposing a range of GST on farm products including 5% on fertiliser, 18% on insecticides, 12% on farm equipment, and 18% on tractors. This combined with the increasing diesel prices has pushed the production cost to Rs 25,000 per hectare. She noted that the average daily earnings of farmers now stood at Rs 12 as against the average loan of Rs 74,000.
Shrinate further said that the farmer who killed himself on September 17 wrote that he did not have money to pay back his loans and was ending his life due to helplessness. "He sought reasonable MSP (Minimum Support Price) for farm produce as a farmers' right and blamed the policies of the incumbent government for his decision to end life."
The Congress spokesperson alleged that the government is apathetic towards farmers and the farm sector and cited the death of over 700 farmers during the agitation against the three agricultural reforms laws as proof.