Farmers' suicides blot on society: Sabnis

The corrupt Governments of the past and the present are squarely responsible for the farmers' suicides, president of Marathi Sahitiya Sammelan (literary meet) Shreepal Sabnis has said.
Sabnis was in the city yesterday after attending two-day Phule-Ambedkari Krishi Sahitya Sammelan organised under the auspices of Lokjagruti Munch, Ghatanji Panchayat Samiti and Shantidoot Buddhavihar Samiti at village Manusdari in Ghatanji tehsil of the district.
In a scathing attack on the Maharashtra government, Sabnis asked why only two villages were included in the drought-hit list when the the entire Yavatmal district was under the grip of drought.
"The farmers are born in debt, live in debt and die in debt," he said, adding there is no end to their plight. "It is a blot on the civilised society as the hand that produces food for the masses is now forced to commit suicide," he said.

"We need a society without exploitation. It is possible only if the corruption in the high places is annihilated permanently," he observed, and added that politicians were amassing unaccounted wealth "for their 100 future generations".
Had there been no corruption, water from the dams would have reached the farmers, he said.
Agriculture sector should be nationalised and promoted through co-operation, Sabnis said.
Asked about making use of Marathi mandatory, Sabnis said he favoured it but there were practical difficulties such as translation of English terminology.