Farmer's suicides: BJP calls government a 'murderer'

New Delhi, May 2 (IANS) A Bharatiya Janata Party MP Wednesday accused the UPA government of being a "murderer" a day after five farmers committed suicide in Vidarbha in Maharashtra.

Raising the issue in the Rajya Sabha, BJP leader Prakash Javadekar blamed the government for being insensitive and responsible for their deaths.

"It is not suicide but murder; the murderer is the UPA government," Javadekar said during zero hour.

"Their policies are anti-farmer," he said.

Javadekar also accused Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi of playing political gimmicks by visiting farmers while doing nothing in reality.

"The Congres general secretary went there and met Kalawati whose husband had committed suicide. Not only did she have to struggle to get the help she was promised, two more members from her family committed suicide," he said.

"The prime minister announced a package, but the money did not reach the farmers," he said.

According to statistics released by farmer advocacy group Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS), five farmers, including a woman, committed suicide in the Vidarbha region since Tuesday. Three of the farmers were from Yavatmal district and one each from Washim and Amravati districts.

VJAS says these five farmers - like thousands of others - were waiting for the relief money declared by the Maharashtra chief minister in December 2011.