Farmer suicide: Congress demands FIR against Narendra Modi and Arvind Kejriwal

New Delhi: Congress demanded registration of FIR against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal holding them "most responsible" for the suicide of a farmer at the latter's rally on Wednesday.

"A case abetment of suicide should be lodged against the central government and the state government... The two persons who can be held most responsible for the suicide are Prime Minister Modi and Chief Minister Kejriwal," party spokesperson Satyavrat Chaturvedi said at the AICC briefing.

His remarks drew a volley of questions from mediapersons who sought to know the justification of his demand and asked whether former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and former Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar can also be held accountable for suicide of farmers in the country when they were at the helm of affairs.

"The suicide happened in presence of the Chief Minister and (personnel of) Delhi Police, which is under the control of the central government... The Prime Minister did nothing to prevent it. Then who else is responsible for it?" he asked.

To repeated questions as to how can the Prime Minister be held responsible for the suicide and how logical it is to demand registration of FIR against him, the Congress leader argued that he is responsible for "creating a situation that led the farmer to commit suicide. Who else (is) responsible for it? He should be held responsible legally as well."

"The Prime Minister is particularly responsible for this incident as the situation that has led to it is continuing for months. The Prime Minister did not take the steps, which he should have taken. Investigation must take place, FIR must be filed against him. Nobody is above the law," Chaturvedi said.

Castigating Kejriwal and his team, he said, "The conduct of Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister and AAP was shameful. A person hangs himself to death and you are engaged in delivering speeches, doing politics. How can somebody be so insensitive?"

Chaturvedi also attacked Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu alleging that his language in Lok Sabha while replying to the issue of farmers raised by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi was "unparliamentary". He said the conduct of the Parliamentary Affairs Minister and his party colleagues was an example of conduct followed by "Duryodhan".

Gajendra Singh, a farmer from Dausa in Rajasthan and father of three, today committed suicide by hanging himself from a tree in full public view in the presence of Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal at an Aam Aadmi Party rally at Jantar Mantar, a stone's throw away from Parliament.