A day after a farmer and his elderly mother allegedly committed suicide by consuming poison at a village in Barnala for their failure to repay a loan, farmer’s suicide was brought to the fore by the political parties alleging that the Badal Government in Punjab had created adverse conditions.
Farmer Baljeet Singh (30) and his mother Balveer Kaur (60) had taken a loan of Rs3 lakh from a commission agent by mortgaging their 2 acres of land. Police along with district administration officials had gone to Jodhpur village to take possession of the land on the directive of a court, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gurpreet Singh Toor said.
As they proceeded to his land, the duo along with other villagers resisted and sought more time to repay the money, police said. The mother and son later allegedly consumed disinfectant and ended their lives.
The Aam Aadmi Party criticised Punjab Government for failing to protect the lives of the farmers and labourers in the State. AAP leader and Sangrur MP, Bhagwant Mann said, “It is really disheartening to see that due to the anti-farmer policies of the Badal Government, the farmers in the State are losing hope to survive and taking extreme steps. Around 94 per cent of the State farmers hold 5 acre or less land and there is a dire need to draft some policies to save marginal farmers and labourers.”
“During his visit to Punjab, Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal had written a letter to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to ask the banks to stop mortgaging properties of those farmers who are in a condition to repay the loan but Badal saab did not bother about it and now the banks have gone a step further and started displaying the pictures of those farmers on the entrance of banks,” Mann added.
AAP spokesman Himmat Singh Shergill visited the home of the deceased and promised every help to the family. Shergill said, “What can be worse than a farmer committing suicide in front of police and administrative officialsIJ Sukhbir Badal should take responsibility of killing the farmers of the State with his bad policies.”
AAP has demanded registration of case against the commission agent and his associates for forcing the farmer to commit suicide. The party also questioned the working of police who were also present there and didn’t do anything to help the farmer.
Meanwhile Punjab Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh stressed on the need for a strong and effective law against dispossessing the debt-ridden farmers from their land.
He sought all party consensus on the matter so that the farmers are not forced to take the extreme and desperate steps like suicides. “Without wasting any time in politicking over the issue let us move fast to enact the law to save the land and the lives of our farmers”, Capt Amarinder said in an appeal to all the political parties.
At the same time, he said, the state government will have to provide guarantee so that the arthiyas (the commission agents) also do not suffer any financial losses. “It is very much possible and practicable and it only needs a sincere and strong will on part of the government”, he remarked.
Expressing grief over the suicide by the farmer and his mother in Jodhpur village in Barnala district after he saw police coming to dispossess him of his land following the court orders, Capt Amarinder said, a strong law, which he has already proposed is the only solution.
Barnala MlA Kewal Singh Dhillon has expressed grief over the loss of precious lives. He demanded adequate compensation for the bereaved family.
leader of Opposition, Charanjit Singh Channi held Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his deputy son Sukhbir Badal “directly responsible” for the death of the old lady and her farmer son.
Joining the protest by the family members of the deceased at Barnala Civil Hospital, Channi demanded immediate arrest of the two absconding people registered in the FIR, Rs 50 lakh compensation to the family, government job to any one member and waiving off the entire loan on the family and return their land back without any condition.
“Today, we should not play politics over the deaths of the farmers and relatives instead we should find solution for the problem. The state is going through worst agrarian crisis, which is evident from the speech of the agriculture minister in the Parliament yesterday,” said Channi.
He said, after Vidarbha in Maharashtra, Punjab has now become the second state, which has recorded 56 suicides till March 11 this year. “The average rate of suicide of the farmer has raised manifolds, every day three deaths are reported in Punjab,” he added.
Channi, along with senior Congress leader and Abohar MlA Sunil Jakhar, went to the hospital where the family members were holding protest. Besides, other party MlAs Karan Kaur Brar, Mohd Saddiq, Harchand Kaur, Joginder Singh Panjgrain, Surinder Pal Singh Sibia, among others too joined them.