Deaths of farmers: Rahul slams Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh governments

NEW DELHI: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday accused the BJP governments in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh of "killing and dehumanising" farmers.

"What development model is this? Killing and dehumanising the sons of soil who feed us?," Rahul charged in a series of tweets, referring to the recent cases of farmer deaths in the two states.

"Saddened by the tragic death of farmers in Yavatmal. Farmers are being poisoned in Maharashtra and stripped & beaten in Madhya Pradesh," Rahul tweeted.

18 farmers in Maharashtra's Yavatmal district have been killed over the past few weeks due to pesticide inhalation, and 467 others have been hospitalised. 'Profefonos,' a pesticide used on cotton crops, has been blamed for the deaths. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the kin of the deceased.

In Madhya Pradesh's Tikamgarh, 25 farmers returning from a protest were allegedly detained, stripped and beaten by police on October 3. While the state government has ordered an inquiry into the incident, it has also denied the allegations.

Rahul is currently on a three-day visit to his Lok Sabha constituency Amethi.

"Had a great time interacting with farmers, Congress workers and constituents on the first day of Amethi visit," he said in a tweet.