Rahul meets family of Punjab farmer who committed suicide

Rahul Gandhi today visited the family of a debt-ridden Punjab farmer who committed suicide last week, barely a month after he had met the Congress Vice President to apprise him of farmers' distress due to unseasonal rains.

Rahul, who reached Daduwal village here this morning, consoled the family members of 60-year-old Surjit Singh and assured them of all support.

Surjit, who met Rahul in Sirhind on April 28, had committed suicide by consuming poison on June 10 after suffering heavy crop loss. Today was the 'bhog' (a post-death ritual) ceremony.

Rahul spent around 20 minutes with Surjit's family and other villagers. He did not interact with the media.

Local Congress MLA Kuljeet Singh Nagra accompanied Rahul. No senior party leader was present as the visit was kept low profile by Congress, party sources said.

Surjit's family members said that Rahul assured them that he will take up the issue with the Centre.They alleged that no one from the ruling Akali Dal and BJP had bothered to enquire about their plight.

Surjit had briefed the Congress leader during his visit to three grain markets in Punjab recently to take stock of "tardy" wheat procurement in Punjab.

While explaining the farming community's distress to Rahul, he had said: "If the farmers' issues remain unresolved, many farmers might commit suicide."

Rahul had visited Punjab shortly after he came back from his 57-day break from active politics.

The Congress Vice President had taken a train to Punjab on April 28 and spent time at grain markets where anger has been mounting as farmers were finding it difficult to sell their produce from the spring harvest after unseasonal rain and hailstorms battered ripe winter crops.

"My father owed six acres but we are tilling 19 acres on contract. Due to less production, the family gets nothing as all the amount is paid to clear dues of land owners.

"He was under depression. He consumed Celphos (a brand name for compound Aluminium Phosphide)," Surjit's son Kulwinder Singh had said.

The farmer had a debt of around Rs 13 lakh.