Farmer suicide is one of the biggest problems that is plaguing India right now. To understand a part of the problem, there is a very small experiment. Go to a retail shop that sells vegetables and grains. Note down the retail price. Then go to any farmer and ask him at what rate he sells his produce for.
Corrupt middlemen traders, erratic weather and the subsequent poor rainfall and loans have battered many farmers into submission. Very few professions in the country face the kind of risk and stress Indian farmers face.
When they are facing grave issues like these, they don’t really need the blame to be put on them like Hema Malini did.
Former actress and current BJP MP Hema Malini blamed alcoholism for farmer suicides. Obviously, the comment was bizarre enough to ruffle feathers and independent MLA, Bacchu Kadu said –Â
“Seventy-five per cent MLAs, MPs, journalists drink. Hema Malini drinks every day but she didn’t commit suicide?”
The legislator openly accepted that he meant to use Hema Malini as an example.
He also pointed out how farmer suicides happen because they are not getting paid enough for their produce and it is wrong to blame alcohol for their suicides.
While he did make a valid point, by citing Hema Malini as an example, he is steering the issue away from the farmer’s plight.
Meanwhile, the farmers continue to give up on life all across India.
To put the seriousness into perspective, with just 4 months ticked off from 2017, over 200 farmers have committed suicide in Marathwada region alone.
And, no, it’s not because of alcohol.
News Source – NDTV