Farmers who commit suicide are criminals, cowards: Haryana agriculture minister OP Dhankar

Mangalore Today News Network

Chandigarh, Apr 29, 2015: Even as the farmer suicide issue continues to hog national attention, a minister in ML Khattar government in Haryana courted controversy after he termed the farmers who commit suicide as ‘cowards’.

Agriculture Minister OP Dhankar said, “Suicide is a crime as per Indian laws.” He added the government could not support farmers who commit suicide as they were criminals under the law.

Terming them as cowards, Dhankar said farmers who were committing suicide were running away from their responsibilities and leaving their families and children with liabilities.

Dhankar, who earlier headed the Bharatiya Janata Party Kisan Cell, used to condemn the earlier UPA government for not doing much for farmers which was leading to increasing suicides.

CM Khattar announces compensation

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Monday, announced compensation of Rs 1,092 crore to farmers affected by inclement weather conditions, to be disbursed by May 15.

Noting the huge crop loss due to adverse weather conditions, he said the government has decided on compensation of Rs. 1,092 crore to be disbursed by May 15.


Of the total amount, Rs. 720 crore will be provided by the Centre while rest will be provided by the State government, he said.

The Chief Minister slammed the previous Congress-led State government for “unwarranted delay” and paying “paltry” sum of compensation to farmers for their damaged crops.

“How insensitive the previous state government was to farmers’ problems could be gauged from the amount of compensation paid as it was not the first time natural calamity wrecked havoc in the state,” he said.

With agency inputs