SME Times News Bureau | 13 Mar, 2018
The Congress on Monday alleged
that farmer suicides have increased by 41.7 per cent since the formation
of the Modi government in May 2014 and accused it of shedding "false
tears" for them while benefiting the middlemen.
"The report of
Crime Records Bureau shows that farmer suicides have grown by 41.7 per
cent since the formation of the Modi government. The maximum suicides
have taken place in Maharashtra. The number of farmer suicides in
Maharashtra stood at 2,414 from January to October last year," Congress
leaders Randeep Singh Surjewala and R.P.N. Singh said in a statement.
They said the BJP had promised to pay farmers 50 per cent over their input cost but nowhere was the promise fulfilled.
"In several states the Minimum Support Price fixed is 24 to 32 per cent less than the cost price," the leaders said.
They
said that agriculture exports have fallen in the last four years and
imports have risen due to which farmers are getting less for their
produce.
The Congress leader said that the Commission for
Agricultural Costs and Prices has noted in its report that maximum
agricultural imports took place in 2016-17 when the Modi government
imported 57.50 lakh tonnes of wheat and 60.60 lakh tonnes of pulses.
"This
happened when wheat production in 2016-17 was 983 lakh tonnes and
pulses 229 lakh tonnes. Was it not well-thought-out conspiracy to
benefit the middlemen? It is clear that the Modi government sheds false
tears for farmers and benefits the middlemen," the Congress leaders
alleged.
