What is BJP doing to prevent farmer suicides in Maharashtra, Congress asks PM

The Congress hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, 12 November, by posing questions to him on Maharashtra, asking what is the BJP doing to prevent farmer suicides in the states.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh posed questions to the PM ahead of his rallies in Chimur and Solapur and asked why has the BJP "diluted" Adivasis' forest rights in Maharashtra.

In 2006, the Congress had passed the revolutionary Forest Rights Act (FRA) which granted Adivasis and forest-dwelling communities legal rights to manage their own forests, and economically benefit from forest produce they collect, he pointed out.

"The BJP government, however, has obstructed the implementation of the FRA, depriving millions of Adivasis of its benefits. Only 52% (2,06,620 claims) of the 4,01,046 individual claims filed have been granted, and land titles distributed cover only 23.5% (11,769 sq. km) of the 50,045 sq. km eligible for community rights," Ramesh said in his post on X.

Why has the BJP government in Maharashtra failed to provide Adivasi communities their rights, he asked.

Ramesh further asked as to what has the PM done to alleviate water scarcity in Satara and Solapur.

"The scarcity of drinking water in Satara, Sangli, and Solapur has only gotten worse in recent years. Between March and April 2024, the requirement of tankers increased 13% in Sangli, 31% in Satara and 84% in Solapur. Dams, ponds and lakes in the area dried up entirely, with the situation being the worst in Solapur," he said.

Water supply in the city's main source of water, the Ujani Dam, dipped below zero, and the city had to survive the "dead storage" in the dam, Ramesh pointed out.

The situation got so bad that the Solapur Municipal Corporation had to supply drinking water on a rotational basis, with different areas in the city getting water at five to eight day intervals, the Congress leader said.

"Why have the non-biological PM and the BJP ignored the plight of thousands who deal with water scarcity every day? Do they have any concrete plans to improve the situation?" Ramesh said.

He further asked what is the BJP doing to prevent farmer suicides.

On an average day in Maharashtra, seven farmers take their own lives, he pointed out.

"This heartbreaking statistic comes from the state's Minister for Relief and Rehabilitation, who reported that 2,366 farmers died by suicide between January and October 2023. The reasons are evident: 60% of districts faced drought conditions last year but no help arrived from the government.

When crops were damaged by unseasonal rains in more than half of the state, farmers were extended loan waivers, but 6.56 lakh farmers were deprived of this relief due to software glitches," Ramesh said.

"In the face of this state-sponsored callousness, the Congress has consistently guaranteed farmers MSP as per the Swaminathan Committee's recommendation, a farm loan waiver with a Permanent Commission set up to implement it smoothly, and settlement of all crop insurance claims within 30 days," he said.

What is the BJP's vision to support Maharashtra's and India's farmers, he asked.

His remarks come amid campaigning for the 20 November polls in Maharashtra.

Counting of polls would take place on 23 November.