Priyanka Gandhi blames UP Govt for farmer suicides

The farmers of Uttar Pradesh are in immense financial jeopardy constrained commit suicides after suicides.

The situation in Bundelkhand is especially worrisome and shocking where five farmers have allegedly committed suicides due to extensive drought and being under the weight of loan not able to repay due to unforeseen circumstances and immense hardships.

The general secretary of All India Congress Committee and in charge of Eastern Uttar Pradesh has posted a detailed story published in Punjab Kesari with her tweet expressing her grave concern of the shocking suicidal deaths of distressed farmers in Bundelkhand due to delivery of notices and threats of confiscation of their properties including non-delivery of financial compensation when they suffer the severe consequences of droughts etc.

In her tweet in Hindi reacting to the shocking story published in Punjab Kesari with photographs of suicides of farmers affixed on her twitter handle Priyanka Gandhi wrote: Kisaan Fasal Ugaate hain, Daam Nahi Milta.

Bundelkhand ke Kisaanon ko har din Kurki ki dhamkiyan mil rahi hain. Ye Kaisee Kisan neeti hai aur Kaisee karzmaafi hai jisme kisaan aatmhatya ke liye majboor ho jayen. ( The farmers sow crops, do not get rates. Don’t get compensation when there is drought.
In Bundelkhand, the farmer is getting threats of confiscation of their properties.

What kind of farmer policy is this and what kind of loan remittances which compels the farmers to commit suicides?

According to a news report published in Punjab Kesari in Bundelkhand, Uttar Pradesh the farmers are incessantly facing the droughts like the critical situation with literally no rainfall. The irrigation facilities are negligible. The farmers are not getting any benefit of the farmer-friendly schemes of the government.

The farmers are suffering from all angles especially the Bundelkhand peasants whose backbones have been literally broken due to the burden of farm loans resulting in incessant suicides.

But there is, unfortunately, no relief from the government’s side despite so much of so-called pro-farmer policies and assurances. This has resulted in the farmers committing suicides.

According to the news report, five farmers have committed suicides in five days and if the statistics of the entire month is analyzed about a dozen farmers of this region have allegedly committed suicides.

The main reason for these suicides is the delivery of RC to the farmers. In about a month’s time, the Aryavrat bank has singularly sent notices to about eight thousand farmers for return of farm loans. The farmers are already under heavy burden due to the loans taken for the marriages of their daughters, for the cure of critical illnesses and farms input.

In Bundelkhand, according to Punjab Kesari’s report, about 1 lakh 10 thousand peasants have sought loans from the banks out of which 70 thousand farmers are not in a position to repay the loans due to drought situation and failure of the crops.

Amongst the five farmers who’d committed suicides, one Ram Kishore had hanged himself to a tree for not able to repay the loan of Rs. five lakhs taken from banks and lords. In Naraini Tehsil Mungera village a farmer Laala committed suicide through hanging because he was not able to repay the loan of Rs two lakhs took for the treatment of his wife from local landlords and 80000 from the bank.

One Dheeraj of Kotwali not able to pay a loan of 80000 committed suicide under the running train. In village Mahokar village three kilometers away from Baanda, a farmer not able to repay a loan taken for the education of his daughter who wanted to become a doctor.

The Aryavrat Bank, which gave loan to these farmers, on the other hand, denies threatening farmers over the recovery of loans. Their regional manager OP Singh said “The state government has waived off the loan of up to Rs 1 lakh but many farmers, who have taken a loan from multiple banks, do not fall under the loan waiver category. Those who have taken a higher amount will obviously not get the benefit,” he said.

Santosh Bahadur Singh, the additional district magistrate of the Banda district, said, “Farmers committing suicide is a matter of huge concern. I have personally met the bereaved families in some cases where other reasons were also responsible for the suicide. The stray cattle menace is also a big issue here. We want the public to support us in overcoming the problem.”

However, the ruling party claims that the issue of suicide by farmers in Bundelkhand is being investigated. UP BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi said, “The Yogi Adityanath government has provided loan waiver benefits to 86 lakh farmers which are highest in the country. Our government is devoted to improving the lives of the farmers. If such incidents are happening we will certainly get them investigated and take necessary action.”