‘Farmers Who Commit Suicide Are Cowards, Criminals’: Haryana Agriculture Minister OP Dhankar’s Shocker

Chandigarh : At a time when farmer suicides have caught national attention, a minister in Haryana has said that farmers who commit suicide are “cowards” and implied that they don’t deserve the government’s support.”Suicide is a crime. According to Indian law, suicide is a crime. A person who commits suicide runs away from his responsibilities. Such people are cowards and the government cannot stand by such cowards or criminals,” OP Dhankar, the Agriculture Minister in the state’s BJP government, said on Tuesday.On Monday, Chief Minister ML Khattar had criticised the previous Congress government for being “insensitive” to farmers and then announced a compensation of Rs. 1,092 crore for those who have suffered massive crop loss because of unusual rain.Mr Dhankar’s comments come at a time the BJP-led government at the centre is battling strong opposition to its proposal to make it easier to buy farm land for infrastructure and other key projects.We must recognise that suicide comes out of desperation. This is rubbing salt on aggrieved families’ wounds. We must be more sensitive to farmers’ plight,” said Odisha parliamentarian BJ Panda.”I condemn O P Dhankar’s comments on farmers. This shows the mindset of the BJP,” said KC Tyagi, a leader of the Janata Dal United.Farmer suicides became the focus of a national debate after a man from Rajasthan hanged himself at an Aam Aadmi Party rally in Delhi last week.