Maharashtra opposition demands adjournment of both the houses over farmer suicide

MUMBAI: The death of farmer Madhav Kadam last week after he attempted suicide outside Mantralaya echoed in the state legislature on Monday. Both Houses were adjourned several times over the issue.

While opposition leaders moved an adjournment notice, Shiv Sena MLA from Nanded South Hemant Patil said it was a shameful incident for his party as it is part of the government and was helpless in preventing his suicide.

Patil said 24 –year-old Jadhav was a Sena party activist. "In December too he had attempted suicide. It is shameful for me that I am an MLA from the ruling party," he said, adding the drought alleviating measures are not being properly implemented.

Peasants and Workers Party legislator Ganpatrao Deshmukh said it was no longer confined to rural Maharashtra as the suicide attempt had occurred outside Mantralaya. Opposition members stood in the well of the House demanding a case be filed under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code.

When speaker Haribhau Bagade said the incident though unfortunate could not become an issue for adjournment, the opposition demanded that the House offer condolence.

Bagade said the motion would need to be jointly moved by the ruling and opposition parties. The opposition then staged a walkout in protest saying the government was not serious on the drought issue.

In the Upper House, Opposition leader Dhananjay Munde also tabled an adjournment motion stating the incident be discussed in the house and a case filed against the government for causing his death.

"The farmer had been meeting ministers and officials to claim his compensation, but the government didn't help him. The government’s apathy drove him to kill himself," said Munde.

Replying in the House, revenue minister Eknath Khadse said the farmer owned just over a hectare in Loha village, Nanded. He had been given a compensation of Rs 4,624 in January after it was confirmed that 33 % of his land was affected on account of the deficit rainfall.

"This government changed compensation norms which now allow the government to provide relief to farmers even if 33% of the crops are damaged earlier the norm was 50%. He had tired to commit suicide in December and so the police were keeping a watch over him. So when he attempted suicide, he was quickly rushed to hospital, unfortunately he was declared dead on arrival. He was included in the beneficiary list of the food safety plan so that his family got food grains at nominal rate,” said Khadse.