Politics over MP farmers

High political drama took the centrestage in western Madhya Pradesh on Thursday as the police briefly arrested Rahul Gandhi and a slew of top Congress leaders when they tried to go to Mandsaur where farmers’ protests have escalated and become violent after six agitators were killed in police firing two days ago.

The 46-year-old leader ditched his car, walked and then rode pillion on a motorbike to avoid detection by local authorities, who had denied him permission to visit the volatile region.

He was arrested at Jiran in MP’s Neemuch district. Let off on bail, he was escorted by the police to the Rajasthan border where he met the family members of some of the victims who were killed on Tuesday demanding debt relief and better crop prices. Mr Gandhi blamed the Prime Minister for the farmers’ deaths.

A debt-ridden Solapur farmer, Dhanaji Jadhav (45), committed suicide on Wednesday night, by hanging himself from a tree near his house at Veet village in Karmala tehsil. He left behind a suicide note with specific instructions for his family – ‘Don’t cremate me till CM Devendra Fadnavis comes here’. The deceased, who has 2.5 acres of cultivable land, had a debt of around `60,000, according to the police. He was also burdened with loans from private lenders. The suicide note, which was addressed to his family and friends, said, “I am a farmer, Dhanaji Chandrakant Jadhav. I am committing suicide today. Please take my body to the village and do not cremate me till CM Devendra Fadnavis comes here.” Jadhav is survived by his wife and two children. According to Solapur collector Rajendra Bhonsale, it was difficult to ascertain whether Jadhav was incited to take this drastic measure of ending his life for a meagre debt amount of `60,000. “The bank that gave him the loan said he was not pressurised to pay off the amount,” he said.