Farmers’ plight

In a scathing attack on the two-monthold Congress government in Punjab, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has stated that 42 farmers have committed suicide allegedly because of the chief minister’s failure to fulfil his pre-poll promise of waiving farmer loans.

At the same time, the BJP, which is in power in Maharashtra, has failed to take note that at least 316 farmers have committed suicide in the state’s Marathwada region in the first four months of this year.

Farmers from Tamil Nadu sat on dharna at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi for more than 40 days for their demands, but no Union minister visited them.

There was bedlam on the first day of the first session of the new Uttar Pradesh Assembly over the state government allegedly betraying farmers. Before the state polls, the BJP had promised to waive their loans, but that is yet to happen.

Clearly, no government in the country is doing much to improve the lot of farmers. S K Khosla Chandigarh Prime Minister has been emphasising Digital India.

On the political front, the surgical strike against Pakistan created goodwill for India, but the situation in Kashmir Valley has been anything but smooth. The government will have to device a long-term strategy to bring peace in the Valley and engage with locals by creating enough jobs for them.

Bal Govind Noida