Instead of working united for the welfare of West Bengal farmers, both Congress and state government are busy putting the ball in each other\’s court over farmers\’ suicide in the state.
West Bengal Congress alleges that the Centre\’s schemes for farmers are not being implemented properly by the state government, while the Mamata government has been blaming the Central government for increasing the prices of agricultural inputs.
State Congress chief Pradip Bhattacharya asserted that the West Bengal government should order detailed investigation on how many farmers have committed suicide and the reasons that drove them to take the extreme step.
He alleged there was a dearth of rice mills for the farmers to sell their produce in a number of districts and appealed to the government to ensure farmers opened bank accounts so that they received the payments for their produce through cheques.
Disagreeing that the farmers were being forced to take their own lives following the increase in fertiliser prices by the central government, Bhattacharya said the rates have been increased across the country and not merely for West Bengal.
\’I want to know from the state government whether the fertilizers are being properly distributed,\’ he said.
On the other hand holding both state and Centre responsible, Left peasant organisations allege that farmers in the state are taking the drastic step due to various reasons, including the absence of a minimum support price for their produce, the spiraling prices of fertilizers and the non availability of loans.
As per a report by National Crime Records Bureau, 46 farmers commit suicide every day in India and as many as 16,632 farmers, including 2,369 women, killed themselves last year.
With such high figure of farmers\’ suicide in our country, there is an urgent need to put a full stop to the dirty game going on between state and Central governments.
Solution can be achieved to this crisis only when owing the responsibility, they work in co-ordination.