CPM slams TMC govt on farmers death

Kolkata, Jan 21 (IBNS) Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) on Saturday lambasted the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led Trinmool Congress (TMC) government in West Bengal for not implementing proper agrarian policies recent, blaming them for a string of farmers suicides in last three months.

At a press conference in the party´s Kolkata office, West Bengal CPI-M chief Biman Bose blamed the government for not taking any stringent action to prevent farmers from committing suicides.

He rejected the government´s stand on matter, as he said, "The government is giving improper reasons behind the death of 25 farmers in the state that they had committed suicide due to family problems."

"Whereas, according to my case study they had taken the grave decision due to pressure of debt which were supported by many reasons such as the inability to sell their crop at appropriate price, lack of any help from the government and many more," he said.

Bose informed that the party representatives will visit the villages of the farmers who had committed suicide and meet with their families to find out appropriate reasons.

"Gram panchayats were in the dormant state and farmers were not getting the hundred days of work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), so farmers those who end up their life couldn´t get any support during tough period," he said.

The Left party also blamed the Union Food Ministry for failing to provide rice to the poor labourers and farmers at subsidised rate under the food security act Antyodaya Anna Yojana.

(Reporting by Praitk Singh; Photo by Akash Goswami)