Under fire for allegedly making an insensitive comment on farmers’ suicide, Haryana Agriculture Minister OP Dhankar on Wednesday claimed that he was quoted out of context. Talking to mediapersons, Dhankar on Wednesday said that he only meant that people of Haryana are fighters and don’t commit suicide. “My statement was highlighted incorrectly by the media,” claimed Dhankar.
A day before, the Minister, during a Press conference had said that those farmers who commit suicide are cowards and criminals. Dhankar went on to say that the Haryana Government will not support such cowardly farmers who commit suicide and leave behind their family to suffer. Dhankar had also stated that suicide is an unlawful act according to Indian law. “The person who commits suicide is a criminal and coward. Haryanvis are strong/ bold,” he said.
The unseasonal rains and hailstorms in Haryana in the past couple of months had ruined crops standing on several thousand acres of land leading to great distress and financial trouble for farmers. Many farmers and agricultural labourers had committed suicide or had died due to heart attack in the State in the past one month. Asked about whether the Government will provide any compensation to families of farmers who committed suicide, the Minister had made it clear that BJP-led Haryana Government will not help families of those farmers and agricultural labourers who have committed suicide because the administration is not for cowards.
Dhankar had on Tuesday also targeted the Aam Aadmi Party Government in Delhi over the alleged suicide of Rajasthan farmer Gajendra Singh and alleged that it was a party motivated murder. The insensitive comments made by Dhankar on the issue of farmers’ suicide were condemned by political parties and famers’ organisations. Congress lashed out on Dhankar for his comments and accused the BJP led Haryana Government of not being sympathetic towards the farming community.
“A farmer is the most powerful food-giver of this nation; do not call him coward or criminal. Criminals are those due to whom farmers are forced to commit suicide,” said Congress leader Randeep Surjewala. Condemning the statement, Haryana Congress chief Ashok Tanwar said that the recent spate of suicides by farmers was unfortunate and the State Government’s apathy was compounding the problem. Kiran Choudhry, leader of the Haryana Congress legislature Party (ClP), accused Dhankar of displaying egregious insensitivity with his remarks that ‘farmers who commit suicide are cowards and criminals.’
“He should render public apology and withdraw his remarks,” she demanded. On the issue, the Bharatiya Kisan Union and Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan said that Dhankar's comments were uncalled for. “The statement of the minister is unwanted and uncalled for. The farmer has been pushed against the wall to such an extent that the farmer has no other option than committing suicide,” said Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan president VM Singh.
Few days back, Ambala MP Ratan lal Kataria had also dismissed the reports of farmers’ suicide as non-issue and had said that the issue has been blown out of proportion. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar lal Khattar had on Tuesday parried questions on the sudden spurt in the number of farmers’ suicides due to large-scale damage to wheat and other crops. “Deaths could be due to multiple factors. It is not easy to determine the exact causes of recent deaths,” Khattar had said.
