23 farmers commit suicide in hailstorm-hit Maharashtra villages

The incident has rattled the ruling Congress-NCP combine in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls

As many as 23 Maharashtra farmers ended their lives after unseasonal rain and hailstorm damaged their crop recently. While 10 victims belonged to Aurangabad, six each hailed from the underdeveloped  Vidarbha region and Nashik and one from Sangli.

The incident has rattled the ruling Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) combine in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls, as it feared the opposition would make it a political issue. Nearly 1.5 to 1.7 million hectares in 165 talukas in the state had been severely damaged.

A state government official, who is currently involved in the preparation of relief package for the farmers, told Business Standard: “Farmers have committed suicides in areas where standing crops, including wheat, jowar, pomegranate, grapes, mangoes, were damaged. In some cases, farmers had already tied up with traders for their returns but were left to see the damaged crop the next day.’’

Opposition parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena, have slammed the state government for the alleged apathy towards farmers and the way it handled the crisis.

BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, will, on Thursday, meet farmers from the affected areas and also hold Chai pe Charcha with farmers across the country during his maiden visit to Vidarbha, the epicentre of farmer suicides. Proposed visit of Modi has put the government on the defensive.

However, Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, who had extensively travelled in the affected villages last week, swung into action and said the central and state governments will provide assistance in the best possible way.

Besides, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan has made an appeal to farmers not to take any extreme step. He said his government was committed to provide all assistance despite model code of conduct was in place for the Lok Sabha elections. Chavan said the government has already appealed to the Centre to provide Rs 5,000 crore for relief and rehabilitation.