Farmer's suicide has nothing to do with wasteland scheme: CM

Chennai, Aug 10 (UNI) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today denied that the suicide of a farmer in Krishnagiri district was due to harassment by officials and said it had nothing to do with the Wasteland Development Scheme to be launched by the Government.

Responding to Mr M Thambidurai (AIADMK), who alleged officials had harrassed the farmer to return the land encroached by him, he said the ''poromboke land'' encroached by Thottaiah (55) four to five years back was meant for constructing a Government High School building.

Local panchayat leaders and the public appealed to the farmer to part with the land. There were no reports of official involvement.

On August seven, Thottaiah committed suicide by poisononing himself as he was afraid of losing the land, he claimed.

Police registered a case and were investigating.

The suicide had nothing to do with the government's policy of providing two acre cultivable wastelands to landless farmers, Mr Karunanidhi asserted.

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