As MP Ministers Attend Various Events, Debt-Ridden Farmers Commit Suicide

Sagar: While Madhya Pradesh Culture Minister Surendra Patwa was swaying to popular Bollywood songs at Raisen’s Bhojpur Utsav, a debt-ridden farmer hanged himself at his home in Sagar.

The incident occurred on Friday when Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was in Sagar district to meet farmers who had suffered huge loss after the hailstorm, and assured them compensation.

According to the deceased’s wife, the farmer had a debt of Rs 3 lakh and his ‘chana’ crop had also failed due to bad weather.

Farmer Gulab Patel was found dead at his home in Garhakota’s Singhpurkala village. His wife, Siyarani Patel, said that her husband was stressed after this year’s loss and the delay in getting crop damage compensation for 2016. “We had incurred loss even in 2016. We were promised compensation for it, but have not received it,” she said.

Reportedly, another farmer hanged himself from a tree in his farmland in Chhatarpur’s Gurhakalan villages after crop failure and losses. However, the information could not be confirmed.

A spell of hailstorm, heavy rain and gusty winds last Sunday hit Bhopal, Gwalior, Sagar, Chhindwara, Betul, Satna, Sehore, Narisghpur and a few other districts of the state damaging the Rabi crop.

While CM Chouhan promised compensation to the farmers on Friday, he said that his government will not waive loans as the ex-gratia and other aide will make them strong enough to repay the loan amount.

Earlier this week, aggrieved farmers in Shivpuri’s Kolaras block threatened to boycott polls if they did not receive immediate relief.

Meanwhile, other state ministers are busy attending various events. While Patwa was spotted at Raisen fest, Rural Development Minister Gopal Bhargav, a resident of Sagar, on Friday met Governor Anandiben Patel in Bhopal to invite her to five-day traditional ‘Rahas Mela’ in Garhakota, the same region where Patel committed suicide.