Farmers' suicides: CPI(M) wing to stage two-day sit-in

Accusing the Centre of lacking seriousness over farmers' suicides, the peasants' wing of CPI(M) today said it would organise a two-day sit-in to protest the apathy and raise issues such as compensation for kin of the deceased.
Relatives of around 200 farmers who committed suicide are expected to take part in the protest to be held at Jantar Mantar on August 10 and August 11.
Kin of Rajasthan farmer Gajendra Singh, who had allegedly committed suicide during an AAP rally held at earlier this year, are also expected to show up during the demonstration, All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) said.

"We are organising movement against farmers' suicides. It is a national shame. More than 3.20 lakh farmers committed suicides in 25 years, but no tears in anyone's eyes for them.
"Farmers are feeding us, but we are not bothered about them killing themselves. It is most unfortunate that no government is talking about it. So, we will raise it now," AIKS general secretary Hannan Mollah told reporters here.
Expressing concern that "such a big issue" has not figured on national agenda until now and remained largely local, Mollah accused the government of not even recognising that suicides are indeed taking place.

"Modi had promised to reduce farmers' suicides, but it has increased by 26 percent in one year. Government is trying to reduce suicide figures by manipulating it and not accepting deaths are taking place due to agrarian crisis. We will force the government to accept it," he alleged.

The ex-Parliamentarian also condemned "barbaric" statements made by BJP leaders over suicides in recent past saying the remarks inflicted "insults" on farmers.
The AIKS said it will also raise issues like offering minimum Rs 10 lakh compensation to kin of farmers who committed suicides, waiving outstanding loans of the deceased, setting up Debt Relief Commission on the lines of one in Kerala, ban on FDI in agriculture, right to education and health for farmers, among others during the sit-in, the CPI (M) politburo member said.

Political leaders, NGOs, intellectuals, journalist P Sainath and others are expected to join the demonstrators.