West Bengal Chief Minister on Thursday denied reports of farmer suicides a day after Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary, Prakash Karat, held the government responsible for the plight.
“The deaths were not suicides, they died of other diseases and had taken loans from banks for personal loans runMishra, in his response to the same, said, “ The figures that the present government is showing for drop in mortality rates is for the year 2010, when CPI (M) was in power and to add, mortality rates can never be calculated in percentage terms.”
Mishra had earlier slammed the government on campus violence where students belonging to TMC had beaten up principals and officials of educational institutes. Banerjee, who also happens to hold the police portfolio, however, condoned the acts of violence.
It is not for farming reasons. We have introduced kisan credit card and crop insurance where we will make payments even if the produce is not sold in the market.” Banerjee said.
She also cited that her government had made it mandatory for farmers to hold bank accounts where the state government will directly make payments for their produce.
"The state will give subsidy of Rs 2 per kg for export of potatoes to Indonesia," said the Chief Minister.
A rebuttal from the Opposition leader followed immediately after. “The CM said that none of the farmers have committed suicide but as per the reports that we have collected 23 farmers have committed suicide and it is amusing that farmers have personal loans of a crore. We would like to understand who lends loans worth a crore to a farmer," an amused Mishra said.Banerjee, who earlier in the day went on an overdrive clearing all the allegations pressed against the government, also responded on infant deaths, decontrol of urea and campus violence. Banerjee said that in her regime, the child mortality rate had come down by 2 per cent and she aimed to bring it down by 25 per cent next year.