The entire Opposition on Monday staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha protesting the Centre’s reply after the three-day debate on the agrarian crisis and suicide of a farmer at Jantar Mantar during the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) rally last week.
Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh rubbished the Congress’ claim that more farmers had committed suicide during the ten-month Narendra Modi Government than since after Independence and countered it by saying that 1.22 lakh members of the farming community had ended their lives between 2006 and 2013, during the UPA’s rule.
The Minister, however, admitted that there were problems in effective implementation of the Crop Insurance Scheme as he responded to concerns voiced by members about inadequate benefits to farmers from it. He assured the House that the Government would not hesitate to cancel the licences of insurance companies if a request is send by the State Governments.
“Between 2006 and 2013, about 1.22 lakh farmers committed suicide in the country. If the member is suggesting that 1.23 lakh farmers committed suicide during the last ten months of the NDA Government, then there cannot be anything more baffling than this,” he said.
leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said they were not satisfied with the Minister’s reply and were walking out. SP, the left parties and the TMC too walked out of the House saying the Minister had not replied to specific queries raised by them.
Congress members were up in arms when the Minister claimed that former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, while inaugurating the Hirakud Dam in 1948, had said that if the farmers suffer because of projects, they should do so in the interest of the country.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu said the House should have collectively applied its mind to find a solution to the farmers’ sufferings. Opposition including JD-U and CPI-M continued its attack on the Government for the third day for being “insensitive” towards farmers’ problems and insisted on provision of timely relief and higher minimum support price as promised in the BJP’s election manifesto.
Continuing the debate on agrarian crisis Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M) said: “First, save our farmers. I urge the Government to be sensitive towards farmers. What are you going to do on the issue of MSP, land Bill and .... What is your solutionIJ”
Congress member Raj Babbar lashed out at Prime Minister Modi saying whether in Gujarat, Jharkhand or Chhattisgarh, thousands of acres of tribal land was given away at “prices of chocolates” and the Government was “blind” to farmers’ plight.