Farmers of Madhya Pradesh on Thursday expressed grief over the death Gajendra Singh, who committed suicide during Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) rally in the national capital, adding that the government is not concerned about their welfare.
One of the farmers, Krishna Mohan, said that the compensation and welfare schemes of the government hardly reaches them and called for inclusion of farmers in the committee that conducts survey to decide on crop loss.
"It is very shameful that a farmer committed suicide and thousands of people including many AAP leaders stood there watching it. No one is aware of the ground realities that the farmers face. All these compensations and welfare schemes hardly reach the farmers," he said.
"When a committee for conducting survey is formed, why are farmers not included in it? The officials hardly visit farms while submitting survey reports. The truth is that no one is concerned about farmers," he added.
Meanwhile, another farmer, Ramesh, said that the crop loss combined with the debt to repay is forcing the farmers to commit suicide.
"The crops are getting damaged for the last three years, and we are not getting proper rates in the market for crops. How is a farmer going to repay debts? How will he get money to buy fertilizers? How will he run his family? Therefore, a farmer is forced to commit suicide," he said.
Gajendra had committed suicide on Wednesday by hanging himself from a tree during the rally at Jantar Mantar.
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As per reports, a suicide note was found that revealed the farmer, who had three children, was banished from his house after his crop was damaged. He took the extreme step because he had no means of support his family.
The incident also sparked criticism for Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, with opposition parties condemning that the rally went on despite the grave incident.
While Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed sadness over the incident, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje said she would do whatever is needed for the welfare of the farming community.