Sonia Gandhi to SM Krishna: Advise Karnataka Government on farmer suicides

BENGALURU: Congress president Sonia Gandhi called former external affairs minister S.M. Krishna on Monday, asking him to advise the state government on how to stop the wave of suicides by farmers in Karnataka.

Her call came a week after Mr Krishna wrote to her and party vice president Rahul Gandhi along with a status report on the gravity of the situation in his home district, Mandya.

Mr Krishna, who spent two days visiting families of farmers who committed suicide in that district, said Mrs Gandhi enquired about the current situation, factors which were driving farmers to end their lives, and steps to mitigate their distress. “She asked me to use my vast experience to advise the state government on how to prevent farmers from taking their lives,” he told Deccan Chronicle.

Mr Krishna said in his report, he had explained how farmers were trapped in a helpless situation because of debts on one hand and nonpayment of arrears by managements of sugar factories. Besides, sugar factories were hesitant to commence crushing of sugarcane this season because of a glut of sugar in the market resulting in steep decline in prices of the commodity.

He said if the state government was of the opinion that recommendations made by the Veeresh committee were dated, another committee could be constituted to suggest steps on prevention of suicide by farmers. He said none from the state government had sought his help to address the problem so far.