BENGALURU: State agriculture minister BC Patil on Thursday stoked controversy, saying the “farmers who commit suicide are cowards”, which drew sharp reactions from the Congress, JD(S) and farmers’ groups.
Addressing bamboo growers at Ponnampet in Kodagu district, about 250km from Bengaluru, he said: “Only a coward who can’t take care of his wife and children commits suicide. When we have fallen (into water), we must swim against all odds and emerge victorious.” The minister said, “Some cowards do not realize how profitable the agriculture business is and they commit suicide.”
To drive home his point, he cited the example of a woman he had met. “When I enquired with her how did she manage to buy gold bangles that adorned her hands, she said, ‘This mother earth has given me (those) for 35 years of toil’,” he said.
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When a woman who achieved big depending solely on agriculture, why cannot other farmers pull it off,” minister BC Patil said.
Patil’s daughter and actor Srusti Patil took to Twitter in his defence. “Every person in this world has only one life and it is not right to take one’s life by suicide. Be it a farmer or anyone else. If the person commits suicide, who will fend for his wife and children? What will be the fate of his relatives?” she said.
Farmers’ organisations and the Congress demanded public apology from the minister. “The statement is absolutely irresponsible. Being agriculture minister, it is insensitive on his part to speak of our hard-working farmers in such language. Instead, he should motivate them,” said Siddaramaiah, opposition leader in the legislative assembly.
HD Kumaraswamy of the JD(S), too, said in a tweet: “Farmers do not end life because they are cowards…. Because they have self-esteem and never seek alms. Because they can’t repay the moneylenders and because they feel guilty to face their children, spouse, and relatives.”
“It’s been nearly 10 months since Patil became agriculture minister. He has not done anything good so far. The farmers are going through one of the worst phases: Floods, heavy rain, shortage of fertilizers and fake seeds. And the minister has remained a mute spectator,” said farmer leaders Kurubur Shanthakumar and Kodihalli Chandrashekar.
“No farmer wants to end life. Many reasons -- floods and droughts -- have not been understood and resolved. Instead of understanding the gravity of the problem, the minister makes irresponsible statements,” said Congress spokesperson VS Ugrappa.