Rahul Gandhi takes jibe at PM Modi's foreign tours; triggers uproar in Lok Sabha

"Again his (PM's) tour is on the cards. He has come here for sometime. He should visit Punjab and he will know first hand what is happening to farmers," the Congress Vice President said, triggering uproar as BJP members protested.

Raising the issue of farmers during Zero Hour a day after his visit to mandis in Punjab, Gandhi said he wanted to apprise the House of the pain and problems of the state's farmers whose produce is lying in mandis and is not being procured by the government.

   
The refrain of Gandhi was that the NDA government had left the farmer to fend for himself.

Amid protests by BJP members, Gandhi took a swipe at the Prime Minister's 'Make in India' initiative, questioning whether farmers are not contributing to 'Make in India' by providing food to the entire country.
   
"When there was hailstorm, the government did not help. State governments used to give bonus, farmers tolerated its non-payment. Farmers were lathicharged when they asked for fertiliser. Now their produce is not being lifted from mandis," he said.

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Congress, Trinamool demand judicial probe into farmer's suicide

Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge hoped that the government will institute a judicial probe into the incident."An inquiry by police will be one-sided," Kharge said.

He urged the government to spell out relief steps for farmers in terms of loan waiver, compensation and minimum support price.

Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy also demanded a judicial inquiry."The home minister should order a judicial inquiry as to why nobody reacted and the drama was played out in full view," he said.

Gajendra Singh, a farmer from Rajasthan whose crops were destroyed by unseasonal rain, hanged himself from a tree here during the AAP rally on Wednesday, held to protest against the controversial land ordinance.

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Farmer suicide: Congress demands FIR against PM Modi, Kejriwal

"A case abetment of suicide should be lodged against the central government and the state government... The two persons who can be held most responsible for the suicide are Prime Minister Modi and Chief Minister Kejriwal," party spokesperson Satyavrat Chaturvedi said at the AICC briefing here.

His remarks drew a volley of questions from media persons who sought to know the justification of his demand and asked whether former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and former Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar can also be held accountable for suicide of farmers in the country when they were at the helm of affairs.

"The suicide happened in presence of the Chief Minister and (personnel of) Delhi Police, which is under the control of the central government... The Prime Minister did nothing to prevent it. Then who else is responsible for it?" he asked.

To repeated questions as to how can the Prime Minister be held responsible for the suicide and how logical it is to demand registration of FIR against him, the Congress leader argued that he is responsible for "creating a situation that led the farmer to commit suicide. Who else (is) responsible for it? He should be held responsible legally as well."

"The Prime Minister is particularly responsible for this incident as the situation that has led to it is continuing for months. The Prime Minister did not take the steps, which he should have taken. Investigation must take place, FIR must be filed against him. Nobody is above the law," Chaturvedi said.

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