Nothing more important than a human being's life: Modi on farmer’s suicide

All parties should find credible a solution to farmers suicide, says former PM Manmohan Singh

GN Bureau | April 23, 2015



Prime minister Narendra Modi made a brief statement in the Lok Sabha on the farmer's suicide and said there was nothing more important than a human being's life. "For many years, farmer suicides have been a serious issue for all governments," he said.

READ: Rajasthan farmer commits suicide as Kejriwal holds rally

"Even I was pained by yesterday's incident. We need to collectively think of a solution to the problem of farmer suicides," Modi said. "The government is ready to go forward with constructive ideas on this issue. There is nothing more important than a farmer's life. There is nothing more important than a human being's life."

 

Meanwhile, political parties continued to toss around the tragedy of Rajasthan farmer Gajendra Singh’s suicide during AAP rally in New Delhi on Wednesday, like any other political issue.

 While, former PM Manmohan Singh said, "it is a great tragedy that so many farmers are committing suicide...All parties in the House and outside must put their wisdom, knowledge and experience to find credible a solution," his party leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge asked home minister Rajnath “when the farmer was climbing the tree, was the police sleeping then?”

"You (Rajnath) said that people at the rally were provoking the farmer. You said the people on the stage also did not protect the farmer. But your police force was there to control the people provoking the farmer. When the farmer was climbing the tree, was the police sleeping then? Did the police want the farmer to commit suicide?" asked Kharge.

"When the police saw the man climbing the tree, the police instantly made a call to the fire brigade to come to the spot. They even tried to control the people provoking the farmer," said Rajnath, responding to Kharge's question about what the police was doing.

"I offer my condolences to Gajendra Singh's family, also on the behalf of PM Modi and the nation. But this matter shouldn't be politicized," the home minister said.

But AAP leader Kumar Vishwas lashed out at Rajnath Singh's statement in the Lok Sabha that Delhi police tried saving the farmer whereas people at the rally were provoking the farmer. "The Home Minister is lying to the Parliament and the nation. He said that AAP leaders were trying to stop Delhi police from doing their work. Is this the Delhi police's strategy under the Centre's order to defame the AAP government?" said Kumar Vishwas.

"We were constantly appealing to the Delhi police to help the farmer," said Vishwas. "You (media channels) have the footage. You can show the truth about what happened," he said.

Vishwas said, "yesterday, it was announced that Magisterial enquiry would be initiated in the case. Today, Delhi Police refused to work with them."

 

 

Comments

 

Other News

Wired for good: Building sustainable cities with AI

The First Industrial Revolution in the 18th-19th centuries ushered in a paradigm shift in how cities were imagined. Fueled by railways, factories and grids, and obsessed with speed and scale, it was an ode to efficiency, which spurred unprecedented economic growth. Now, as the Fourth Industrial Revolutio

How social media is reshaping elections

Since Brazil’s return to direct presidential elections in 1985, no candidate who finished second in the first round of polling had ever won the presidency. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, now 81, has just done it. What explains the comeback, and what changed in Brazilian politics to make it possi

Cabinet approves Dearness Allowance, Dearness Relief

The union cabinet chaired by prime minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved the release of an additional instalment of Dearness Allowance (DA) to central government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners with effect from 01.07.2026 representing an increase of 3% over the existing rates of 6

Cyclone Arnab strikes Andhra as warming oceans amplify storm risks

Cyclone Arnab made landfall along the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts in the early hours of Wednesday as a very severe cyclonic storm, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 125–135 kmph and gusts reaching 150 kmph. Its rapid intensification has raised concerns about how warmer oceans, global warmin

Counting matters but which ones?

The first instinct of public policy is to count. Its harder task is to count what counts. We have become remarkably good at measuring the reach of the welfare state vis-à-vis beneficiaries covered, rupees transferred, houses built, connections installed and services delivered. But some of the most

Inching closer to a trade deal with America

The cooperation between India and the United States goes back quite a time. We need to relegate that era to the backburner when Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru visited US in the times of president Dwight Eisenhower and called the American let-off of 10 million dollars in defence aid to Pakistan as a “gun w

Upcoming Conferences



-->

Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter