GANDHINAGAR: Opposition Congress and BJP sparred over farmer suicides in the state during a discussion on budgetary demands of the agriculture and co-operation department on Friday.Congress MLA from Jamnagar Raghavji Patel alleged that as many as 614 farmers had committed suicide during the last decade in Gujarat due to the government’s apathy.
“According to an RTI application, a total of 614 farmers in Gujarat committed suicide between 2003-2013 due to crop failure, mounting debt and inability to repay their loans,” said Patel in his speech in the assembly during the discussion on budgetary allocations made to state agriculture and co-operation department.
State agriculture and co-operation minister Babu Bokhiria and other BJP members objected to the charge and hence speaker Vajubhai Vala intervened asking the Congress member to produce authentic documents to support his claim.Senior Congress MLA and party chief whip Balwantsinh Rajput claimed that 7,000 farmers ended their lives in the last five years in Gujarat.
However, agriculture minister Bokhiria defended the state government on the issue of farmer suicides. “Congress MLAs should ask the Congress-led Maharashtra government about the large number of farmers committing suicides in Vidarbha region. This is not the case here, as we protect them with agriculture insurance scheme for crop failure,” claimed Bokhiria.

The minister claimed that only two farmers have ended their lives due to debt or corp failure, while others were due to several other social reasons only.