Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala on Wednesday said the State was ruled by a government that forced farmers to commit suicide by closing all routes of revival.
Speaking at the venue of a hunger strike led by him at the Municipal ground at Kattappana in support of the farmers’ cause, he said it was to hoodwink the farmers that the date of moratorium on bank loan recovery was extended. The decisions taken at Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting to find a solution to the farmers’ issue were to mislead the people.
Mr Chennithala demanded that a special Assembly session be convened to discuss the issue of farmers’ suicides in Idukki.
‘Write off loans’
The farmers would not get any benefit by extension of the moratorium. What was needed now was to write off farm loans up to ₹5 lakh. If a special Assembly session was convened, this would have been raised, he said adding that short-term measures would not help in preventing suicides. Settler farmers faced various issues that needed to be studied and long-term remedial measures taken.
Hunger strike
Earlier, the hunger strike was inaugurated by United Democratic Front convener Benny Behanan. All representatives of the UDF in local bodies and leaders of political parties participated in the hunger strike, which was held from 9 a.m to 5 p.m
Kerala Congress (M) working chairman P.J. Joseph, MLA, inaugurating the valedictory function, said cooperative banks that functioned under the State government had committed a big mistake by issuing attachment notice to the farmers who were under severe stress after the August floods.
This cannot be allowed, he said adding the government was anti-farmer. Though it claimed that it supported the farmers, the government policy was against the farmers, he added.
Jose K. Mani, MP, and District Congress Committee president Ibrahimkutty Kallar, among others, attended the function.