BJP leader seeks probe into farmers' suicide

Farmers’ suicide in Odisha has gone so alarming that almost 90 of them have ended their lives in the last few days, the BJP state unit has alleged.

“The BJD government in the state is trying to suppress and hide the suicide cases,” Senior BJP leader Biswa Bhusan Harichandan told in a news conference.

“We want a thorough and independent inquiry on the issue by a high court judge,” Harichandan, a former state revenue minister, demanded.

The state’s drought situation is unprecedented as a result of failed monsoon, he said, adding that crop failure and debt burden have forced 90 farmers to take their lives in different districts in the last few days alone.

“The drought situation in the state has reached an alarming stage. Farmers are committing suicide almost on a daily basis,” Harichandan said.
 
“The state government has confirmed 40 deaths, but insists none of them are agriculture related. This is unfortunate,” he added.

He accused the state government of not having a clear policy to handle the situation and criticised the Naveen Patnaik dispensation for contradicting its own party MPs by denying the farmers’ suicides are nothing to do with agriculture.

BJD spokesperson Sashibhusan Behera responded by saying the opposition should not play politics over farmers’ issues.