Claiming that all the farmer suicide cases, as reported in the media and alleged by the Opposition parties, are not due to crop loss, ruling BJD MlA Pramila Mallik on Sunday asked the Opposition to give ‘Amar ladoo’ (immortal sweets) to the farmers so that they would not die henceforth.
“It is not at all true that farmers are committing suicide only because of crop loss and debt as widely reported in the media and alleged by Opposition parties,” Mallik, a former Minister, told reporters here.
“I got two cases of farmer suicide in my constituency (Binjharpur in Jajpur district) following reports in three vernacular dailies. I called up the reporters of these newspapers for an on-the-spot visit to the areas where crop loss has been reported. I took them to the paddy field where we found crops with knee-deep water,” Mallik said and asked, “Will the crop be damaged with knee-deep waterIJ
Maintaining that the Opposition and the media are terming the death of any person as farmer suicide, Mallik, who is also the BJD Mahila Morcha president, said, “let the Opposition parties give Amar ladoo to the farmers so that they can’t die.”
She dared the Opposition parties and the media to prove any farmer suicide cases due to crop loss and drought in her constituency.
Mallik’s statement came at a time when the BJD is all set to hold a huge Chasi Samavesh in Bargarh district on November 19 in a bid to show that the Government is concerned for farmers’ welfare.
The Congress and the BJP strongly criticised Mallik for her comment. “Advising Amar ladoo for farmers exposes the low mentality of Pramila Mallik,” said Congress spokesperson Sulochana Das.
BJP leader Suresh Pujari said the statement of the BJD MlA proves that the Naveen Patnaik Government is on the defensive on the farmer suicide issue.