Abhishek Manu Singhvi: Farmer suicides up 26 per cent and you say you are pro-farmer?

Bengaluru: Upping the ante against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, eminent lawyer and Congress spokesperson, Abhishek Manu Singhvi on Friday alleged that the NDA government’s anti-farmer policies have led to an increase in farmer suicides by 26 per cent compared to the suicides in 2013-14.

Speaking to reporters here, Mr Singhvi said anti-farmer policies such as the land acquisition ordinance, cut in allocations and the meagre minimum support price (MSPs) for various crops were contributory factors.

Terming the Land Acquisition Bill as the ‘Life Acquisition Ordinance,’ he said the Modi-led ‘Suit Boot Ki Sarkar’ does not care for farmers with several BJP leaders issuing insensitive remarks against them.

“Union minister Nitin Gadkari stated that only God can save farmers not the government while the BJP’s agriculture minister in Haryana, O.P. Dhanekar termed farmers who commit suicide as cowards. BJP MP Sanjay Dhotre takes the prize as he stated that if farmers die let them die, who cares” he said.

The PM, Mr Singhvi said, had forgotten almost all his promises with regard to farmers. “When he was CM of Gujarat, Mr Modi had stated that he would increase the input costs of farming by 50 per cent, just ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, but after his stupendous victory, he completely forgot this,” he quipped.

Giving a new interpretation to ‘NAMO,’ Mr Singhvi said it stands for N – NO, A- Agriculture, M–Mal-administration, O– Only. Responding to farmer suicides in Karnataka, Mr Singhvi listed several pro-people schemes launched by Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah. “I am happy that the state government is on the right path, at least he is taking care of the food security of the poor,” he said.