Haryana govt courts controversy says farmers who end lives are criminals, cowards

Chandigarh: Haryana Agriculture Minister OP Dhankar remained defiant over his remarks terming farmers who commit suicide as criminals and cowards.

Addressing a press conference, Dhankar said that his government stands with the farmers and has done more than any other state government in the country to compensate farmers hit by crop loss due to adverse climatic conditions.

Dismissing the criticism against his “cowardly farmers” comment, Dhankar said, “Haryana is the land of brave people; suicides are not acceptable in the state.”

The minister added that farmers of Haryana are brave, they send their children to the armed forces, and that’s why suicide is not taken as acceptable in the state. There should be no pro-suicide environment, he added.

“The bigger question is whether suicide is the only option for those fail in life?” he said.

Yesterday, Dhankar had said, “Suicide is a crime as per Indian laws.” He said the government could not support farmers who commit suicide as they were criminals under the law.

Terming them as cowards, Dhankar said farmers who were committing suicide were running away from their responsibilities and leaving their families and children with liabilities.

The issue found an echo in Parliament today with Rahul Gandhi attacking the Centre over Dhankar’s remarks on farmer suicides.

Dhankar, who earlier headed the Bharatiya Janata Party Kisan Cell, used to condemn the earlier UPA government for not doing much for farmers which was leading to increasing suicides.

He is not new to controversies. In the run up to elections last year, Dhankar had promised youth that he will bring brides from Bihar for those who are unable to find a match in the state.

CM Khattar announces compensation

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Monday, announced compensation of Rs 1,092 crore to farmers affected by inclement weather conditions, to be disbursed by May 15.

Noting the huge crop loss due to adverse weather conditions, he said the government has decided on compensation of Rs. 1,092 crore to be disbursed by May 15.

Of the total amount, Rs. 720 crore will be provided by the Centre while rest will be provided by the State government, he said.

The Chief Minister slammed the previous Congress-led State government for “unwarranted delay” and paying “paltry” sum of compensation to farmers for their damaged crops.

“How insensitive the previous state government was to farmers’ problems could be gauged from the amount of compensation paid as it was not the first time natural calamity wrecked havoc in the state,” he said.