'Farmers' suicides result of UPA's wrong policies': Rajnath

Lucknow, Dec 23 (UNI) Castigating the UPA government at the Centre for its ''wrong policies,'' including on Special Economic Zones (SEZs), the BJP today held it responsible for the ''shameful phase'' of widespread farmers' suicides and ''burgeoning inflation.'' ''Suicides by farmers are fast becoming an 'ordinary' incident under the UPA government and despite the Prime Minister announcing a package, the problem continues unabted,'' BJP President Rajnath Singh said in his address at the National Council meet here.

Noting that the problem in Vidarbha was a ''matter of serious concern'', he claimed seven farmers were committing suicides everyday.

''This is happening because the package announced by the PM was only an illusion, based on old schemes,'' he said.

Mr Singh said the ''mismanagement'' of irrigation, absence of technological and business training and uncertainty of income had put a question mark of the future of farmers. ''Such problems are getting complicated in states such as Punjab, Maharashtra, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh,'' he noted.

''While on the one hand, farmers were committing suicides owing to the problems of poor irrigation facilities, on the other hand, the river inter-linking projects, which could have provided a comprehensive solution to irrigation problems, had been put in cold storage merely because it was conceived by the NDA government,'' he said, adding that the ''import of foodgrains and the plight of farmers remind one of the India of the 1960s.'' Charging UPA for having an ''indifferent attitude'' towards the farmers problems, Mr Singh said the Manmohan Singh government had not taken any initiative to ensure necessary credit to farmers at a reasonable rate as their inability to repay bank loan had also been a reason behind the suicides.

He also requested the UPA government to have a look at the suggestions given in the report of the National Commission for Farmers. constituted during the NDA regime. ''I urge the UPA to consider the report of the Commission and implement its recommendations in the interest of the farmers,'' he said.

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