The comment from the BJP MLA comes at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been promising to improve farmers’ lives and wave off their loans. (Source: ANI)

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Madhya Pradesh Rameshwar Sharma earlier today took a jibe at the farmers of the country who have committed suicide on the back of loss or burden of loans. Addressing a press conference Bhopal, Sharma said, “Mare vo kisaan hain jo kisaan kum aur subsidy chaatne ka vyapaar zyada karte hain.” (Those have died who are less of farmers and do business of subsidy licking.) Further talking to media, the BJP MLA said “A real farmer never commits suicide. Those who made money using illegal ways, borrowed money and consumed alcohol, have defamed the farmer community.”

The comment from BJP MLA comes at a time when all high-profile leaders of the saffron party including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Amit Shah have been promising to improve farmers’ lives and wave off their loans. The party, in their back to back roadshows and rallies in poll-bound in Uttar Pradesh, have said to provide bunch of facilities to farmers including free supply urea.

Over the past many years farmers in the country have been committing suicide. More than 5,650 farmers committed suicide in 2014 and the numbers crossed 8,000 in 2015. Even during the first quarter of of 2016, more than 100 farmers have committed suicide. By July 2016, nearly 363 farmers had committed suicide due to agrarian reasons.

Even in the past, another BJP MP Gopal Shetty had touted farmer suicide as a ‘fashion trend’. In the wake on increasing suicide number, Supreme Court, in January, had favoured a comprehensive national policy in order to protect farmers, as many have committed suicide by the fear of rising debt and crop failures. The SC termed it a ‘sensitive’ matter of public interest and human rights.