Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal apologises for continuing rally after farmer’s suicide

“I made a mistake. I should have called off the rally,” Kejriwal told news agency ANI in an interview.

“I don’t think that anybody of those present there would have thought that a person would commit suicide,” he said.

Kejriwal, who has been roundly slammed by all parties including the Congress and the BJP, added that the focus should remain on farmers. The aim should be to stop farmers from committing suicides, he said.

People trying to rescue Gajendra Singh who attempted suicide from a tree at an AAP rally (Source: Express photo by Praveen Khanna)

He also came down hard on the media’s coverage of the incident.

“Stop blowing the issue. Only TRPs are increasing,” he said.

Singh’s public suicide has renewed focus on the distressing situation of farmers in the country. The episode gains even more mileage in the backdrop of the contentious land acquisition bill proposed by the government.

The issue was raised in both houses of Parliament as well.

Expressing his “anguish” in the Lok Sabha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said a farmer cannot be left “helpless”. “For several years, farmers’ suicide has been a cause of worry for the nation… The problem is old, deep-rooted and widespread and we have to seek solutions in that context…There should be a collective resolve in this regard. We have an open mind to consider any suggestion that is made,” he said.

(With ANI inputs)