Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi consoles family members of Punjab farmer who committed suicide last week
Rahul Gandhi today visited the family of a farmer in Punjab who committed suicide last week, barely a month after he met the Congress Vice President and briefed him on the distress caused by crop loss due to unseasonal rain.
Mr Gandhi, who arrived at Dadu Majra village in the Fatehgarh Sahib district early this morning, was seen consoling the grieving family of 60-year-old Surjit Singh who killed himself on June 10 by consuming poison after his wheat crop was destroyed by unseasonal rain. Police said Mr Singh had a loan of Rs seven lakh that he was unable to pay off due to mounting losses.
Speaking to NDTV, Mr Singh's son Kulwinder said that the Congress Vice President assured the family that he would do his best to get farmers' loans waived off.
On April 28, Mr Singh, in a white turban, was seen explaining the troubles of Punjab's farmers to Rahul Gandhi, when the Congress Vice President had visited Sirhind on his day-long tour of markets in Punjab as part of visits to several states where farmers are in distress.
"If the farmers' issues remain unresolved, many farmers might commit suicide," Surjit Singh had told Mr Gandhi.
The Congress Vice President had assured Surjit Singh and other farmers he met in Punjab that he would do as much to help them as a leader of an opposition party could.
Though the Centre has announced higher compensation to the farmers who have suffered losses in unseasonal rain and hailstorms in March and April, Punjab farmers say they have received no such money so far.
In Punjab, crop in about seven lakh acres of land was affected.