Farmers suicides to be tackled collectively: Advani

New Delhi, May 20: Expressing serious concern over the phenomenon of suicides among farmers in the country, Leader of Opposition in Parliament and senior BJP leader L K Advani today said there was a need to tackle the matter as a national problem collectively.

Addressing the National Executive of the BJP Kisan Morcha, Mr Advani said in 2003 there were 1,10,851 farmers commiting suicides across the country and the numbers from one particular class was ''extraordinary, dangerous and alarming''. He said he could understand dejected individuals committing suicides but not as a class.

He said he had written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asking him to set up a Joint Parliamentary Committee to study the suicides among farmers. Such a study would also give the right message to society that the Parliament and the nation was concerned about the problem.

He said during his recently concluded Bharat Suraksha Yatra two months ago the onion farmers in Maharashtra had told him how the policies had forced them to take the extreme step. They told him how the prices of onion had fallen from Rs 24 a Kg to a mere Rs one. "We have a normal onion crop, but we were prevented from exporting the produce. On the other hand the policy makers imported onions resulting in a crash in prices".

He said the BJP had a great responsibility in handling the problem as an Opposition at the Centre and as a ruling party in some states. "We will extend constructive suggestions at the Centre and take responsible decisions to overcome the problems concerning a major chunk of society," he said.

Mr Advani said Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar had invited him for a meeting to discuss the issue next week. In the meeting BJP President Rajnath Singh, also a former Agriculture Minister will also be present. There is a need to take a correct decision, he added.

He said a decision like wheat import was a serious issue and the party had raised it in both Houses of Parliament.

UNI