Opposition targets govt over agri crisis, farmers suicides

​New Delhi: Noisy protests rocked both Houses of Parliament as they convened for normal business on Wednesday after members from the Opposition created a ruckus over farmers' plight, spate of lynching incidents, communal clashes and Kashmir unrest.

Opposition members in the Rajya Sabha strongly raised the issue of agrarian crisis in the country, saying farmers were being forced to do distress sale of crops in the face of cheaper zero-duty imports. Several members gave notices under rule 267 that allows adjournment of the proceedings to take up a discussion on an issue. Deputy Chairman P J Kurien said a discussion on the matter has been accepted and the members can raise their points during the debate.

Raising the issue, Sharad Yadav (JD-U) claimed that 15-20 farmers were committing suicide every day. He said pulses production has been raised by 33 per cent but the government has lowered the import duty on it to zero, resulting in cheaper shipments into the country.

Farmers, he said, are being forced to make distress sale. The Congress on Wednesday accused the government of "complete failure" in dealing with the plight of farmers. Digvijaya Singh (Cong) said the farmers were getting "bullets instead of price".

Kurien said besides Yadav, Pramod Tiwari (Cong), Naresh Agarwal (SP), Ram Gopal Yadav (SP), Kapil Sibal (Cong) and Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M) had given notice under 267 on the issue. Ali Anwar Ansari (JD-U) through a Zero Hour mention raised the issue of manual scavenging saying this practice was continuing even after the government has declared it illegal. Four workers, he said, died in the national capital due to toxic gases while cleaning a septic tank.

"All four are Dalits," he said, adding over 2,500 dalits have lost their lives in last two-and-half-years due to this practice but no cases have been registered or compensation paid.

While the government on the one hand talks of going to Mars, on the other it provides no equipment or apparatus for such cleaning activities, he said. "Our sensitivities are dead," he said.

BJP ally and Swabhimani Paksha (SWP) MP Raju Shetti also sparred with the treasury benches over the issue.
When the House met again at noon, Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge attacked the government again, despite Speaker Sumitra Mahajan saying that a debate on the issue was scheduled later in the day and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar saying that the government would answer all questions raised by opposition members.

"There is an agrarian crisis. The agriculture sector is devastated. The number of farmers committing suicide have been rising by the day. The government has completely failed in dealing with their problems. Their loans should be waived and the government should fulfil its promise of paying them 50 per cent more than their input costs," Kharge said.

Countering him, Kumar said no government had done as much for farmers as the Modi dispensation had. The government was ready for discussion under Rule 193, which does not entail voting, and answer all questions. Protesting Congress, NCP, TMC, Left, RJD and National Conference members then staged a walk-out.