Agriculture Minister Balkrishna Patidar said the reason behind someone committing suicide is only known to the person himself and the people only indulge in guesswork. (Source: ANI) Agriculture Minister Balkrishna Patidar said the reason behind someone committing suicide is only known to the person himself and the people only indulge in guesswork. (Source: ANI)

At a time when Madhya Pradesh has seen a 21 per cent jump in farmer deaths since 2013, state Agriculture Minister Balkrishna Patidar on Sunday said suicide was a global problem and everyone, from a trader to a police commissioner, committed it. Patidar further said the reason behind someone committing suicide is only known to the person himself and people only indulge in guesswork. The minister’s remarks come at a time when Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has gone the whole hog in wooing the farmers and labourers through sops in an election year.

“Who doesn’t commit suicide? A trader or businessman commits suicide, a police commissioner does it too. The whole world is facing the problem. The reason behind committing suicide is only known to the person doing it. We can only assume the reason (Suicide kaun nahi karta? Vyapaari karta hai, Police commissioner bhi karta hai. Yeh poore world ki problem hai. Suicide ka kaaran jo suicide kar rha hai sirf usse pata hai. Hum log sirf andaaza lagaate hain,” ANI quoted Patidat as saying.

During the recently concluded Budget session of Parliament, Union agriculture minister Purshottam Rupla informed Lok Sabha that Madhya Pradesh ranked third in terms of farmer suicide in the country. There has been a 21% jump in farm suicides since 2013, the report said.

With farm issues set to be one of the main focus points on which the Madhya Pradesh elections would be fought, Chouhan has rolled out a slew of sops for farmers this year. Besides modifying the Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojana and waiving interest on loans, the government has announced that wheat growers would get Rs 265 over and above the MSP of Rs 1,735 per quintal in the coming season to ensure that the farmers get Rs 2,000 per quintal.

📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines

For all the latest India News, download Indian Express App.

© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd