Post by : Meena Ariff

Photo: AFP

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi strongly criticized the government on Thursday over the increasing number of farmer suicides in Maharashtra.

He shared on his WhatsApp channel that in just three months, 767 farmers have taken their own lives in the state. These tragic deaths have left many families broken and struggling to cope with their loss.

Gandhi said that farmers are facing many problems. They are trapped in debt because the prices of seeds, fertilizers, and diesel are very high. At the same time, there is no guarantee that they will get a Minimum Support Price (MSP) for their crops. He said, “Farmers are sinking deeper into debt every day — seeds are expensive, fertilizers are expensive, diesel is expensive… but there’s no guarantee of MSP.”

He also accused the government of ignoring farmers’ problems. He compared this with how easily loans are waived for rich businessmen like Anil Ambani. Gandhi pointed out that when farmers ask for loan waivers, their demands are ignored, but billionaires get their loans waived quickly by the government. He mentioned recent reports about Anil Ambani’s Rs 48,000 crore SBI loan issue.

Gandhi also criticized the government’s promise to double farmers’ income. He said that instead of improving, the lives of farmers are becoming harder. He said, “Modi ji promised to double farmers’ income — today, the reality is that the lives of those who feed the nation are being cut in half.”

His statements bring attention to the serious difficulties faced by farmers in India. Gandhi’s remarks call for the government to take strong and immediate action to help farmers and improve their situation.