Govt fudging farm suicide data, Cong will bring to fore real picture: Bittu
Wednesday, 13/01/2016
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BATHINDA: Accusing the Punjab government of fudging the number of suicides by farmers in the state to make it look less severe a problem, Congress member of Parliament from Ludhiana Ravneet Singh Bittu on Tuesday said the party would meet families of each suicide victim in the coming days to present the real picture.
Congress member of Parliament from Ludhiana Ravneet Singh Bittu (yellow turban), along with other party leaders, at the district courts complex in Bathinda on Tuesday.
He said the party would also list reasons and remedial steps required to be taken to address the issue.
Bittu, who was here to attend a court hearing in connection with two cases registered against him during protests against the pesticide scam and whitefly attack on cotton crop in September last year, said he talked to party vice-president Rahul Gandhi on the issue, who asked the party leaders to meet the victim families.
“The purpose of exercise would be to know actual figure of farmer suicide as the state government has fudged the figures. Also, we would come out with plan to check such happenings, which would be incorporated in the party manifesto for 2017 assembly polls,” he said.
Bittu said a report in this regard would be submitted to Rahul Gandhi and feedback would be given to Punjab Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh.
He said the party would focus in three districts of Bathinda, Mansa and Sangrur and conduct the drive after January 26. He said some of the victim families would also be taken to Delhi in March for a meeting with Rahul Gandhi.
He said the three districts had witnessed about 90 farm suicides in the past four months alone.
Meanwhile, courts fixed the next date of hearing in two cases registered against Bittu, and Congress leaders Vikramjit Mofar, Khushbaj Jatana and Bhupinder singh Gora, on April 4.
Two cases were registered against the Congress leaders on September 30 last year for entering into a scuffle with the cops during a protest.
