Order enquiry into Wayanad farmer suicide: Rahul writes to Kerala CM

Congress President Rahul Gandhi has written a letter to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan requesting him to order an enquiry into the 'suicide' of a debt-ridden farmer from Wayanad.

Gandhi also urged him to extend financial support to the family of the deceased.

"I am deeply saddened by the suicide of VD Dinesh Kumar, a farmer in Neervaram, Panamaram Panchayat, Wayanad. On speaking with his wife Smt. Sujitha, I learnt that her husband had been under severe stress due to his inability to repay the loans he had taken and this pushed him to commit suicide," read the letter.

"Kumar's case isn't an isolated one. There has been a spate of farmers suicides in Wayanad, due to an inability to repay loans. What is disturbing is that while the government of Kerala has announced a moratorium on repayment of farm loans till December 31, 2019, yet farmers are still being pressurized and hounded by a loan collection agent," said Rahul Gandhi.

"I write to request you to order an enquiry, into the circumstances surrounding Kumar's death and to extend financial support to his family. Moreover, given the devastating long term impact of the 2018 floods on agriculture in India, it is crucial to consider long term measures to free our farmers from the vicious debt trap thousands of them are caught in," it read.

Rahul Gandhi will pay a two-day visit to his constituency from June 7 to thank the voters.

Rahul had on May 24 expressed gratitude to the people of Wayanad for choosing him as their representative in the Lok Sabha.

Gandhi netted 7,05,034 votes in Wayanad, and won by 4,31,063 votes against his nearest rival Left Democratic Front (LDF)'s PP Suneer in the constituency.