Priyanka Gandhi slams UP govt over farmer's suicide

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday slammed the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh over the alleged suicide by a farmer in Muzaffarnagar, saying that the Yogi Adityanath dispensation now does not mention a word about the non-payment of sugarcane dues to farmers.

The farmer committed suicide by hanging himself from a tree in Muzaffarnagar district allegedly due to the non-procurement of his sugarcane produce amid the coronavirus-induced lockdown, according to his family.

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The suicide triggered a protest by farmers on Friday who demanded that a case be registered against sugar mill officials for failure to procure sugarcane from farmers.

Tagging a media report on the incident, Priyanka Gandhi tweeted, "Seeing his sugarcane crop drying in the field and not getting the slip, a sugarcane farmer from Muzaffarnagar committed suicide."

The BJP claimed that full payment would be given in 14 days, but the sugar mills have been closed with payment worth thousands of crores of rupees still due, she said.

"I had brought it to the notice of the government two days ago. Imagine the plight of these sugarcane farmers' families not getting their dues during this financial crisis. But now the BJP government does not even mention a word about the payment of sugarcane dues within 14 days," the Congress general secretary in charge of UP East said.