Centre may probe farmer Gajendra Singh’s suicide, says Venkaiah Naidu

Hyderabad: Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu indicated here on Sunday that the Centre may order a larger probe into farmer Gajendra Singh’s suicide after a getting the report of a preliminary Delhi Police inquiry.

“People have raised doubts about farmer Gajendra Singh’s suicide. His family wants an inquiry. So the Government of India will think about the next step after receiving the preliminary report of the Delhi Police inquiry. Nobody should politicise it, because if you try to do that, it will boomerang,” he told reporters here.

“You have already seen how the AAP unnecessarily criticises the Central government and now it itself has (got) caught into a controversy. They (AAP leaders) continued their meeting even after the man (farmer) lost his life. So please don’t politicise this issue and let the truth come out,” he said.

He said that the farmer’s suicide has nothing to do with the Land Acquisition Bill. “It (Gajendra Singh’s suicide) is totally meaningless to attribute that to the Land Acquisition Bill,” he said.

“Farmers suicides are long-term issue. It is a deep issue. It’s a very sensitive issue. Entire society has to apply its mind. Centre, state governments and all political parties should come together to find some long term solution to this problem,” he said.

He said that it is not as if farmers began committing suicide only after the Narendra Modi government took over, adding that during UPA rule, every year more than 10,000 to 12,000 farmers committed suicide.

“So, please don’t politicise this issue. Let us apply our minds and find some permanent solution to farmer related issues,” he said.